Apex
by Dreamline
Summary: As time passes, the tension between leader and follower grows, and outside events push everything to its apex. Megatron/Starscream
1. Prologue

Greetings, all! This is my first story here. As stated on my profile, this, along with anything else I might write, contains slash. In this case, it's mech on mech action. This an alternate universe with G1 characters involved.

This story is mainly centered around Megatron and Starscream, but other characters will be reasonably involved as well. Also, this entry is simply a prologue and will be the shortest chapter I submit by far.

Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers and don't get anything but personal entertainment from writing this.

Enjoy.

* * *

**Prologue**

Soundwave sighed from his seat in the spacious Control Room of the Decepticon's underwater base. He tried to remain as unnoticeable as possible when Megatron and Starscream burst into the room, arguing as usual. It was times like these that the cassette deck cursed his telepathic abilities. His superiors' minds never produced anything less than a jumbled mess of confusion.

As he continued his work, Soundwave caught portions of Megatron's most recent thought. With another sigh, he pushed his chair backwards and ducked down at the same time. Seconds later, Starscream's body came sailing through the space Soundwave's upper body previously occupied, fully accompanied by a shrill wail from the Second in Command. The flier hit Soundwave's computer terminal, shattering the screen with an obnoxious crash which matched pitch with his wail. The Seeker tumbled unceremoniously onto the floor. Groaning, he rose from the ground and shot Soundwave a venomous glare.

"What are you looking at?" he spat.

"Starscream: Never learns," replied the Communications Officer, the barest hint of teasing in his voice. Megatron watched the scene play out, his arms crossed over his chest and a sneer decorating his faceplate.

"Oh yeah? Well, slag you!" Starscream yelled pathetically. He forced his way past Soundwave and rushed out the door before Megatron could even consider pursuing him. The cassette deck turned to the Decepticon Commander for instructions he knew were coming.

"Soundwave," Megatron started, his voice unusually tired, "Contact the Constructicons and have them fix your terminal. Ramjet and his trine mates should be dragging themselves in here any moment for their shifts. See to it that they don't make matters worse. I'll be in my quarters."

"As you command, Megatron," the telepath replied. He mulled over Megatron's thoughts for a moment before fulfilling his orders. With a grunt, he sat down at a neighboring terminal but didn't begin working. Instead, he considered his two leaders. He could feel the tension between them, even during his recharge cycles at times. For ages, the telepath sensed their growing stress- a kind of stress that certainly wasn't hate related. But recently it had gotten much, much worse. Perhaps it had to do with Starscream's increasing number of half-baked schemes and insubordinate actions. Though, that led Soundwave to wonder why Starscream had become increasingly volatile.

He knew it was only a matter of time before something gave and his leaders were forced to confront the raging torrent of feelings bubbling up in them both. He just didn't realize it would be such a long and undignified process.


	2. Tension

Hey guys, here's the next installment. In all honesty, this chapter was sitting around for the better part of this week doing nothing, but I've had an interesting past week or so, filled with illness and midterms. Hope this chapter makes up for it, regardless of the slow rate at which this story is progressing.

All text that is italicized in bulk is a flashback.

Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers and don't get anything but personal entertainment from writing this.

Enjoy.

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**Chapter 1: Tension**

The Decepticon forces of Earth returned to their underwater base in any manner manageable. All tried to beat Megatron in hopes of hiding from his inevitable wrath. Their latest scheme to gather Energon failed miserably, leaving most of the Decepticons involved in bad shape. Starscream tried particularly hard to make it inside before his leader, but it just wasn't his day- as usual.

Though he had actually done quite well in battle at first, he wound up missing a wing, courtesy of Optimus Prime of all bots, and that was just the beginning of his injuries. Somehow, the Seeker knew his agonizing screams on the battle field weren't enough to satisfy Megatron. He limped as quickly as he could to his quarters, leaving a syrupy trail of Energon in his wake. Blitzwing, standing tall and smugly undamaged due to his exclusion from the raid, passed the damaged Seeker in one of the many halls of the labyrinth base. Starscream looked up at him, betting to himself that the triple-changer crossing his path was no accident.

"What happened to you?"

"Shut up, Blitzwing," growled Starscream faintly.

"Megatron is going to make sure you get _top priority_ in the Med Bay," came the giggling reply of the tickled triple-changer before he left the injured mech to his own devices. Starscream growled and punched the wall as soon as Blitzwing was out of sight. He hated the obnoxious jokes his fellow Decepticon made.

The jet-former focused all of his attention on escaping Megatron's inevitable punishment. He would reach the sanctuary of his room and repair the damages within his capabilities. Maximizing his time away from the Slag Maker was the only idea he was capable of grasping and holding onto in his processor- escape and survive a little longer. The door of the Decepticon Second in Command's quarters came into view. Starscream's name was engraved upon the sliding metal door panel, perfectly centered and one of the most stunning displays of the Cybertronian characters that had the privilege of heralding his name. Of course, there was no need to have his name written on his door since the base's floor plans were memorized by all, but he couldn't turn down a chance to show off any of his belongings, his name included. Picking up the pace, he felt a glimmer of hope.

All faith in Primus vanished when a powerful hand gripped his shoulder and wheeled him around. Cool metal met the back of Starscream's rapidly heating body as he locked optics with the last Cybertronian he wanted to see at the moment. Vaguely, he could feel the engraved characters of his name against his back. The beautiful engraving was smeared in Starscream's Energon.

"Me-Megatron!" Starscream pressed back against the door further. The gun-former entered a code into the wall-mounted keypad to the right of the doorway. The support behind Starscream vanished and he tumbled backward. Frowning deeply, Megatron stepped inside hastily. The door slid closed, clicking ominously as it locked. It was then Megatron chose to show his rage. A lightning fast hand reached out and wrapped around Starscream's neck.

"Do you mind telling me what exactly it was that you were doing out there today?" growled the Decepticon Commander menacingly. The only response he received was the labored sound of his Second's air intakes trying too hard. He tossed the Seeker to the floor, smirking when Starscream landed on what remained of his left wing. Starscream hissed in pain and resentment.

"Well?"

"Please don't hurt me, Megatron!" begged the flier pathetically. He forced himself to sound particularly whiny, hoping the gun-former would become irritated and leave. However, deep down inside, he knew he wouldn't be able to break the tyrant's will to beat him into submission so easily. The gun-former rarely passed up a chance to degrade and humiliate Starscream somehow. The sooner he got it over with, the sooner Starscream could continue hating him and plotting against him.

"I asked you a question, Starscream." Megatron hovered over the scared Seeker. The way his name rolled off the Decepticon Commander's glossa sent shivers through Starscream's circuits. Briefly, he noted that the sensation wasn't unpleasant. He cursed himself before he could go down _that _road again. When his Second didn't immediately respond, Megatron struck out once more. He hit the severely wounded mech in the face- hard. Then he brought down a foot on Starscream's nub of a left wing. The flier howled in pain.

"Pl-Please, no," the Air Commander tried again. He received a sneer for his effort.

"You're a pathetic, traitorous idiot!" roared Megatron. His banter was far from creative at that point. Starscream calculated his chances for survival, something he generally did when Megatron dropped the "traitor" card. They were frighteningly low. His logic chip told him he wouldn't make it out alive this time, not even if he went with the age old tactic of begging Megatron to show mercy. His injuries were beyond life-threatening and Megatron's abuse had only just begun. He didn't want to die groveling at the feet of his age old tormentor. The gun-former didn't deserve such a sight.

"Answer me, Starscream! Why do you _constantly _fail me? What were you doing that was so important it caused you to defy my orders, _again_?" The Air Commander braced himself against the wall and rose to his feet before answering. Even with the bravado he was about to display, he refused to meet the heated gaze of his leader.

"I was fighting off the Autobots so Skywarp and Thundercracker could escape with the Energon we collected!" Starscream's aggressive response took Megatron by surprise, but he didn't let such a fact reflect on his face. He remained still, glaring at his annoying subordinate. What would compel the Seeker to act so blatantly disrespectful when his injuries were obviously worth worrying about already? He knew the flier had a few screws loose already, but something about Starscream's attitude minutely bothered him.

"That wasn't what I ordered you to do! Did you forget the plan in the five minutes it took us to get to the dam? I specifically told you to stay with Soundwave. Skywarp and Thundercracker could have easily taken care of themselves. If you had been where I told you to be, things wouldn't have gotten out of hand. You failed me yet again, Starscream!" yelled Megatron, backhanding the insolent Seeker to cover his brief lapse in dealing punishment.

Starscream tumbled to the ground unceremoniously. This was still the warm-up. Megatron would complain a little longer, asking why Starscream was so stupid or foolish. No answer would satisfy him, so he would beat the Seeker until he grew tired. However, this particular battle left Starscream feeling arrogant, even in the face of the tyrant of his nightmares. Not only that, but he took notice of Megatron's pause. What seemed like only a few seconds of respite to the silver tyrant felt like minutes to his fast paced Second.

This certainly wasn't the first time Starscream had spoken out against Megatron. The gun-former had tried to break his spirit countless times, but the flier had the strongest will Megatron had ever encountered. Starscream's mind drifted to the battle that had taken place earlier that day. A good number of the Autobots had fallen victim to his Null Rays. He had been the top fighter during the first half of the battle, without a doubt.

There were even two instances in which Starscream saved Megatron's life, though the tyrant would never know. Not that he would believe it anyway. Starscream could hardly believe it himself and certainly didn't know why he even bothered with his insufferable leader. If Megatron just paid attention to his strengths...

The battle played out in his mind lazily, without his permission.

* * *

_The Decepticons arrived at the Imperial Dam without issue. One human escaped into the shadows upon their arrival. They knew the Autobots would make an appearance soon as a result, so they worked as quickly as they could. After herding the remaining humans together, Soundwave deployed the Energon cubes, Starscream used his Null Rays, and the collection of Energon began. Just as they finished, Optimus Prime and company burst into the building in a dramatic display of heroism. Starscream scoffed in distaste. _

_Since the appearance of their enemies was expected, Megatron had made plans to hold them off. More or less, he had divided his present forces into small groups: Skywarp and Thundercracker, the Cassetticons, and Soundwave and Starscream. He proclaimed himself without need of a partner, for he was the mighty Megatron. Skywarp and Thundercracker grabbed as much Energon as they could and headed for the exit. Prowl, Ironhide, Bumblebee, and Jazz jumped in their path to stop them. Sunstreaker and Sideswipe had already been intercepted by Soundwave, who was subconsciously inching toward his cassettes. _

_Helplessly, Starscream watched as his trine mates were shot down. He knew he had to intervene to keep his comrades alive and preserve the Energon cubes. Normally, he kept the camaraderie he shared with the other two Seekers a secret in order to let them all maintain their ruthless Decepticon images, but his trine mates were in trouble and needed their trine leader. Looking to Soundwave, he saw that the tape-deck was holding his own with the help of the Cassetticons. With a quick turn, he was firing his Null Rays on the Autobot closest to his fellow Seekers. Bumblebee had the misfortune of getting too close to Skywarp and suddenly hit the ground in a strained screech of metal on concrete flooring. With an agile kick from Starscream, Bumblebee was removed from combat temporarily. Angered, Ironhide jumped to tackle the smug Seeker to the ground, but Starscream stepped out of the way with intuitive ease. Firing his Null Rays again and at point blank range, Ironhide was momentarily knocked out of commission as well. _

_Megatron glanced at his Second and growled in irritation when he saw that the flier no longer battled alongside Soundwave. He didn't have long to worry about it, though. The Autobot Commander was rushing toward him._

_Optimus Prime and Megatron tumbled by Starscream, locked in a grappling match. Taking advantage of the flier's distracted state, Prowl shot at him from across the room. The blast grazed Starscream's shoulder, searing the metal and a few circuits. He gritted in pain._

_ "Are you alright, Screamer?" Skywarp approached his leader with Thundercracker close behind. Starscream frowned at the unwanted nickname._

_ "I'll be fine. Thundercracker, blast a hole in the wall so we can fly out of here while Skywarp and I hold them off. Then we'll grab the Energon and get out of here," Starscream planned._

_ "Got it." Thundercracker fired at the nearest wall a couple times while his comrades fired at the closest Autobots. When the dust cleared, a gaping hole was left in the wall._

_ "Grab the Energon cubes!" Starscream commanded. His trine mates obeyed, but before they could fly through the hole, Jazz tackled Starscream to the ground._

_ "Not so fast, Decepticreep!" Jazz taunted. He punched his captive in the face, earning him a grating moan of pain. Then suddenly, Jazz was gone. Starscream looked over and saw Thundercracker and Jazz tumbling away. He smirked as he rose to his feet. _

_Bumblebee was rising slowly to a stand, catching the Air Commander's attention. Starscream fired at the yellow Autobot, who fell to the ground again. Skywarp and Thundercracker approached him as a sign that they were ready to leave. Sunstreaker was fighting Soundwave and the Cassetticons with his brother. Megatron and Optimus Prime were still locked in hand to hand combat as if they weren't even aware that others were fighting around them. Ironhide, Jazz, and Bumblebee were temporarily out of commission. Wasn't someone missing? _

_Starscream gave the room a calculated once over. Much to his distaste, his gaze returned to his leader somehow. Nearby, he found the remaining Autobot. Prowl was raising his weapon, preparing to fire at Megatron's unguarded back. Realizing he wouldn't get to Prowl on foot in time, Starscream transformed to his jet mode and fired up his thrusters. At a ridiculous speed, he rammed into Prowl. The Autobot was thrown across the massive generator room of the dam into a wall. Starscream switched back to his bipedal mode and landed gracefully. Megatron hadn't even realized that he was almost blasted in his unguarded back, but Starscream didn't dwell on the thought. Instead, he stood in shock, mulling over the fact that he had just helped the mech he despised most. The thoughts were forcibly pushed to the back of his processor as his gaze shifted to Soundwave, for his battle was the only one that hadn't been resolved, aside from Megatron's. _

_Reflexively, the Air Commander stepped out of the way just as Sunstreaker's body sailed past him, skidding to halt close by. The vain Autobot wore a pained expression on his face, which greatly pleased Starscream._

_ "Not so tough now, are you Autobot?"Starscream's voice grated in contentment as he teased. Sunstreaker looked up and him with a horrid sneer plastered disdainfully on his scratched faceplate. The Lamborghini-former tried to rise to fight the overly arrogant Seeker. It just wasn't his day. The flier put a foot on Sunstreaker's chest, effectively pinning him. The barrel of a Null Ray stared the wounded Autobot down, and with a smirk, Starscream fired._

_Sideswipe cried out in anger for his brother. Soundwave used the moment of weakness to send the twin across the room as well. The Decepticon Second in Command laughed haughtily at the sight. Proud of himself, Starscream turned to Soundwave and his trine mates, ready to resume the task of transporting Energon cubes back to their base. Megatron still battled with Optimus Prime, but he didn't care to save his leader twice in one day, regardless of what his processor shouted otherwise._

_ Optimus stared over his rival's shoulder to witness Starscream's act of cruelty. Though he knew Sunstreaker would live if rushed to Ratchet in time, the Autobot Commander still felt the anger building up in his circuits. When Starscream turned his back to him, Optimus knew he needed to cut the proud Seeker down a notch. With an angry shout, he pushed past Megatron, leaving the Decepticon Commander slightly befuddled._

_ "Coward!" Megatron shouted after the truck-former. He wouldn't let his age old rival escape so easily. As he made to pursue the retreating mech, he found himself freezing in place. Optimus jumped at Starscream, tackling him viciously to the ground. Megatron was confused. Why would anyone choose a fight with Starscream over a fight with the mighty Megatron? _

_The Seeker cried out at the sudden addition of twice his weight on his back. Clearly he had gone a little overboard with Sunstreaker and now he was going to pay. Just his luck. He felt the weight leave him, but as he tried to stand, the Prime's foot came down on his back harshly. He hissed in pain. Wing joints were sensitive and the Autobot had wedged his large foot atop them. The other conscious individuals could only watch and listen as the truck-former spoke._

_ "Do you think it's honorable to take advantage of someone who's down and beaten?" yelled Optimus furiously. Starscream winced at the tone. It was the angriest he'd ever heard the Autobot. When he felt a hand clench his left wing, Starscream shuddered. Based on experiences with Megatron, he immediately guessed what would follow. Optimus Prime, of all mechs, was going to rip his wing off. There was a slight pressure that turned into a burning pain which quickly exploded into the most agonizing feeling the pinned Seeker had ever experienced. The sensor nodes in his wings were reporting too many sensations at once, which created a ridiculous amount of feedback that forced his systems to stall temporarily, but not before he released a tortured wail. Energon smattered the floor as Optimus tossed the wing to the ground carelessly. He glared menacingly at the remaining Decepticons. Megatron watched the scene play out, frozen in shock. Since when had the Autobot Commander become so ruthless? He shook his head clear and charged at his adversary. He tackled Optimus to the ground, feeling angrier than usual- a fact which he attributed to the Decepticons' degrading performance in battle. _

_ "You're fight is with me, Prime!" he found himself yelling. Prowl, Ironhide, and Jazz collected themselves. Slowly, the rest of the Autobots wearily picked themselves up from the ground. With renewed vigor at the sight of Starscream on the ground in a pool of his own Energon, they attacked the Decepticons. _

_Starscream regained himself and pulled away from the floor. He sat on his knees briefly to allow his optics time to focus. When he could see clearly, he wished he had just stayed down. Sideswipe was running at him, anger harshly shaped on his faceplate. With a swift kick to the head, Starscream was sent sliding across the floor. He cried out again as what remained of his left wing scraped across the ground. He caught a glimpse of his trine mates getting overpowered by Prowl, Ironhide, and a newly conscious Bumblebee. Jazz was facing off against Soundwave and only two of the Cassetticons. Starscream assumed the others had been defeated, though he caught sight of Laserbeak flying nearby. Sideswipe regained the Seeker's attention with a demanding kick to the side. Starscream growled up at his tormentor. Sideswipe looked to his fallen brother. It was clear that Starscream's Null Ray shot hadn't been at full power since Sunstreaker's head was still intact. His brother was alive. The Lamborghini-former aimed his weapon at the downed Decepticon's head to mock him. Instead of shooting his face, Sideswipe moved the barrel to Starscream's right leg. He fired. Once more, the Air Commander's howls of pain filled the room._

_ Megatron almost couldn't believe his optics as he watched his Decepticons slowly lose the edge in battle. His Second was down, along with his trine mates. Soundwave was calling the Cassetticons back while receiving a beating from Jazz, while Prowl occasionally turned to assist the saboteur. Optimus Prime, driven by a shocking amount anger, was attacking Megatron with reckless abandon._

_Sideswipe left the fallen Air Commander to aid his leader. Starscream hissed at the discomfort he felt when rising to a sitting position. He knew the Decepticons would be retreating soon. He leveled his Null Rays at Sideswipe and fired in an attempt to get even with the mech. The Autobot tumbled and collided with Optimus Prime instead of his intended target of Megatron. Starscream's next target was Jazz, who fell instantly when the shot connected. Soundwave looked at him briefly before collecting his remaining cassettes and hurrying to Megatron's side._

_ "Observation: Outnumbered and wounded. Suggestion: Fall back and make repairs," the Communications Officer stated. Megatron knew he was right. Skywarp and Thundercracker were barely able to defend themselves, and Starscream had only transiently downed Optimus, Sideswipe, and Jazz. An incredulous growl slipped past his lips. The raid was supposed to go perfectly, but his idiotic Second in Command had ruined everything._

_ "Decepticons, retreat!" He fired his Fusion Cannon at those attacking Skywarp and Thundercracker. The two Seekers transformed and flew through the hole Thundercracker created earlier. Soundwave fled right behind them, followed closely by an angry Megatron. Starscream pushed himself up from the ground expeditiously and limped desperately toward the exit. Sideswipe regained his composure and prepared to attack the injured Decepticon, but Optimus Prime waved a hand to stop his subordinate._

_ "We need to help Sunstreaker. Let him go," the truck-former commanded. Sideswipe nodded and rushed to his brother's side. Starscream left as quickly as he could manage, thanking Primus for Optimus' caring sense of leadership._

_

* * *

  
_

Starscream was shaken violently from his thoughts.

"Is this what you were doing on the battlefield? Daydreaming?" teased Megatron. Starscream growled but knew better than to say anything just yet.

"What do you have to say in defense of that blunder you caused, you sad excuse for a soldier?" Megatron spat viciously. Starscream felt something inside him snap at the insult. Megatron had no right to speak to him in such a manner, especially considering the fact that he hadn't really done anything too extreme during their raid. In fact, he had _actually _had the intention of helping.

He wanted desperately to strike Megatron in the face until the gun-former stopped moving, but he knew that wouldn't happen. Unfortunately, the tyrant could back up his talk. Part of him wanted to punch Megatron anyway.

"It wasn't my fault." He looked up at his leader defiantly.

"What was that?" Megatron heard his Second clearly but found himself shocked at the venom in the wounded flier's reply. Starscream shouldn't have been so willing to talk back. Normally, he would be begging for his life. Megatron couldn't keep himself from wondering what exactly Starscream was thinking at the moment. Fear certainly wasn't playing a role in his thought processes, much to Megatron's dissatisfaction.

"I said, it wasn't my fault," the Seeker repeated, his volume increasing with each word spoken. His insubordination earned him another strike from the enraged Decepticon Commander.

"If you had stuck with my plan, everything would have been perfect, but you felt the need to defy my orders and run off on your own, yet again, Starscream! What, were you trying to show off? Because you certainly failed." Megatron's fury alone threatened to melt the flier.

Starscream continued to lose Energon at a constant rate. He figured Megatron would spend a little more time beating him then mock him while he crawled to the Medical Bay. At that point, he figured he would be as good as dead. His whole body ached and he simply resigned himself to deactivation. His wounds were too extensive and he had successfully increased the anger level of his already vehement leader. Megatron noticed the resigned, yet still defiant, look in his Second's optics.

"You're plan was terrible, as always. If I hadn't done what I did, we wouldn't have made it out alive. If anything, you should be thanking me for saving you _and _your Decepticons, not mocking me and accusing me of showing off." Starscream's words were soft but forceful. He felt a hand wrap around his throat and apply a ridiculous amount a pressure. His optics lost focus.

"You think _I _should thank _you_?" That's preposterous! You little traitor, I should kill you right now! You've been nothing but a thorn in my side since I promoted you!" roared Megatron. Starscream felt the intentional sting of his words. Everyone, Autobots and Decepticons alike, knew how hard Starscream used to work to please his leader. They also knew where the Air Commander's arrogance stemmed from- his quick promotion to Deception Second in Command. The gloves were off. Starscream tugged at the hand around his neck until he knew he'd be able to speak properly.

"This is why your plans never work! You're so full of yourself! You _never_ take my advice! All you know how to do is blame everyone else for your shortcomings! We're _stronger_ than the Autobots, but you don't even know how to use your own army, you fool!" Starscream's voice came out as a labored rasp but his point came across clearly. Energon dribbled from his lip components down his chin as he laughed hoarsely at his leader with a smugness he shouldn't have possessed.

"Oh, that's rich! Me, full of myself? You're one to talk, you arrogant moron! And I know how to use my army just fine! You'll never be fit to lead, so I suggest you stop trying!" Starscream simply continued to laugh at his leader's words, giving his final retort.

"Even when I didn't want to lead this army, you had no idea what you were doing. This is why I'll _never _respect you again."

The flier's Energon started to drip on Megatron's hand. Only then did the gun-former realize the full extent of Starscream's injuries. He looked down his subordinate's form slowly. Perhaps the Seeker would actually die this time. He felt tempted to finish the job himself. He stared back up at Starscream's face to find his optics dark and shuttered instead of their usual fiery red. Megatron released his grasp on the Seeker's neck and watched him fall to the ground unceremoniously. For a brief moment, Megatron contemplated leaving him there to die, but he felt an unusual pang of curiosity strike him. What was the real cause of the constant failure of their plans? Then there was that last thing Starscream said. _This is why I'll _never _respect you again. _

He shook his head. Such hesitation remained unwelcomed in the leader's mind. He looked to his Second again. Energon stained the wall and floor. Though covered with injuries and vital fluids, Starscream looked fairly peaceful. He sat slouched against the wall in his unconscious state, his mouth parted slightly. The normal frowns, smirks, and sneers were nowhere to be seen. The expression came across as far too peaceful. It seemed as though the Seeker _wanted_ to die. Megatron recalled the resigned look on his Second's face earlier during their argument. Apparently Starscream expected to say his piece and die shortly after. He wouldn't get off that easily.

Briefly, Megatron wondered why his normally rambunctious Second in Command had resigned himself to death so quickly. Starscream had never been one to give up- ever. It was the Seeker's worst and greatest attribute, but it remained absent during their argument. Something changed in the flier, he could tell. He would have to discuss it with Soundwave later.

Megatron picked his insubordinate Air Commander up off the floor. Though injured as well, the gun-former threw Starscream over his shoulder and carried him to the Medical Bay. Hook jumped in fright when Megatron burst into the room carrying the flier. The Decepticon Commander even set the Seeker down on a medical berth gently, which rendered Hook immobile for a moment as his processor came up to speed with the events taking place around him.

"Me-Megatron! What c-can I d-do for you?" stammered the medic.

"I trust none of the others' injuries are quite as bad as his," the silver tyrant stated. Hook nodded.

"Excellent! I suggest you get to work quickly. He might not make it." Megatron laughed wickedly as he casually strode from the room. Hook stood dumbfounded for a moment longer before beginning work on Starscream and ordering the other Constructicons to take care of the other injured Decepticons.

* * *

Megatron's internal repair system worked its hardest while he sought out Soundwave. He found his Communications Officer in the control room, mending the damage dealt to Buzzsaw. He assumed the telepath knew what he planned to ask since his mind felt so scattered and unprotected, but he felt the need to voice his concern anyway.

"Soundwave, I need to you to recall today's battle. What exactly happened?" His question came out sounding sterner than he desired, but his need for the truth dwarfed his concern over his tone of voice.

"Laserbeak: Deploy," Soundwave's monotone voice ordered. The cassette deployed from his chest and stood on the table with countless monitors.

"Mission: Display recording of today's battle."

Laserbeak transformed into a cassette and popped himself into a tray beneath one of the many display screens in the control room. A video proceeded to play, retelling the tale of the Decepticons' defeat. Megatron watched carefully. Genuine surprise seeped into his mind as the video progressed.

* * *

Megatron processed the information warily. Since when did the traitorous Starscream save the lives of those he hated most? Was it in hopes of having something to hang over his head? Well, he wouldn't be doing the Seeker any favors. He certainly wasn't going to indebt himself to Starscream either. After all, he had spared the insubordinate mech's life countless times. However, the question still irked him. Why did Starscream do it? The Air Commander would certainly know better than expect any form of gratitude from him. He could be credited with that much intelligence. Certainly it wasn't from the kindness of his spark, either. More than likely, Starscream saved him so he would have someone stronger to hide behind. Then again, Starscream had fought even after sustaining heavy injuries. Frustrated, Megatron abandoned his thoughts regarding the Seeker. Starscream was confusing millennia ago, and if anything, he had only gotten worse. Megatron switched over to the failed combat tactics of their raid.

"Soundwave," the tape-deck acknowledged his leader with a masked stare, "What do you think of Starscream and his trine mates as a collective?" The question implied Megatron's indifference to Soundwave's opinions of Starscream alone. He already knew the Communications Officer hated the Air Commander.

"Observation: Seekers share a unique relationship. More attuned to one another and therefore more efficient together in combat," replied Soundwave.

"I see. What exactly to you mean by _unique relationship_?" Megatron wondered aloud. Soundwave wouldn't dare question any of his curiosities. He was far too cowardly for such things.

"Seekers: Share strange bond. They are more aware of one another. Resembles bonding relationship without spark merging but to a lesser extent. Note: Not telepathy," Soundwave concluded. The Seeker trine's relationship had always been a secret he wanted to crack.

"Explain yourself," commanded Megatron. He needed to know more.

"Suggestion: Watch Starscream and his trine mates more closely. Perhaps watch them in the Medical Bay right now." Soundwave already keyed in the proper sequence necessary to display live footage from the Medical Bay. The tape-deck finished his repairs on Buzzsaw and motioned for the Cassetticon to return to his chest.

Hook already fixed Starscream's wing and leg and could be seen finishing up on the lesser repairs. Skywarp and Thundercracker stood nearby, trying not to seem too obvious in their concern for their leader. Megatron never really paid attention to the other two Seekers since they never tried to kill him in his sleep. He found it strange for them to feel concern for a mech like Starscream. Hook finished the final repairs and allowed his cranky patient to sit up. The repaired Seeker seemed eager to work out the kinks. He adjusted his wings briefly, making sure the left one matched the flawless motions of the right. When he finally seemed pleased, he ceased the movements to inspect his shoulder and leg. Hook needed to be given credit for his handiwork, regardless of the fact that he worked a little too roughly for the flier's taste. Wings were delicate appendages, after all. When he finished inspecting himself, Starscream looked to his trine mates. They approached him casually. Hook left the room discreetly, perhaps to recharge, but Megatron assumed he wanted to give the Seeker trine some privacy. Thundercracker spoke first.

"Is everything functional?" It cut through the tension as intended.

"Yeah, everything is fine," answered Starscream. He sounded far too somber.

"What's wrong then?" Skywarp leaned closer to his trine leader, an act Megatron found odd. Starscream usually hated it when others invaded his personal space but he did nothing to deter Skywarp.

"I'm surprised our _glorious _leader allowed me to be worked on. I was certain he would want me dead this time. You know, since I was traitorous enough to save his life_ twice_ this time." The sarcasm rolled off Starscream's glossa naturally.

"So which of you carried me to the medical bay?" He looked back and forth at his trine mates, intent on rewarding whichever one helped him. Megatron snorted indignantly from his place in the control room.

"Screamer, we didn't bring you here. The Constructicons were working on us and Megatron brought you in. But I know why you asked, and I'll take his reward!" Skywarp answered cheekily. Starscream almost fell from the medical berth in shock, too surprised to acknowledge Skywarp's remark. Thundercracker, however, nudged his wing mate none too gently.

"You're lying," the trine leader stated venomously, pointing an accusatory finger at the teleport.

"No, he brought you in. You were already unconscious and you looked pretty bad. If he hadn't brought you in when he did, I doubt you would have made it. You were losing Energon far too quickly," Thundercracker cut in.

"I would have been fine if he hadn't beaten me for supposed insubordination when we got back." Starscream flexed his wings angrily.

"You did go against his plan, though." Thundercracker's tone almost sounded lecturing- almost. Megatron smirked. At least one of the Seekers knew Starscream was disobedient.

"Would you have preferred if I had stuck with Soundwave and let the Autobots dismantle the two of you? Besides, Soundwave and his little cassettes were fine. Megatron's pairing system was ridiculous. He _knows _we're a trine. I think he split us up just to spite me. That plan was absolutely idiotic and I even had to bail that slag head out of trouble!" Starscream's screechy voice raised an octave in his anger. Megatron growled as he watched his Second complain about him so openly to the other mechs. He knew his plans weren't always the greatest, but he was the leader. He prepared to march down to the medical bay to force that little traitor back into stasis lock, but the words of Soundwave stopped him.

"Suggestion: Continue watching. Note: Thundercracker and Skywarp simply listen. They take nothing serious when Starscream is in such a state. Starscream must vent frustration to avoid further direct confrontation with you, Lord Megatron." Megatron growled again but watched the screen. Starscream continued to complain, unsurprisingly.

"He never listens to any of my suggestions! I could have told him how this fight was going to end, but instead he wanted a hands on experience. Speaking of hands on, _Optimus Prime _ripped my fragging wing off! Does that slag head Megatron even know what that's like? If I had been allowed to help with this, we would have gotten away without issue! Why did he even bother making me his Second in Command if all I get to do is receive beatings from him _and _the Autobots?" Starscream was on a roll. Thundercracker, the voice of reason, stepped in. He placed a hand on Starscream's right wing and rubbed soothing circles near the tip. The Air Commander seemed to automatically relax a little.

"I'm sure your input would be valued if you presented it in a more reasonable manner. Instead of shouting and mocking every portion of Megatron's plan during meetings, you should try simple suggestions with sound explanations. Be more scientific about it. That's something you should be more than capable of accomplishing. Perhaps Megatron will respond better to that. At the very least, he won't think you're trying to usurp him," he said.

"But I am trying to usurp him!" argued Starscream vehemently. Megatron frowned at this. Why did the flier have to be so difficult? However, an idea came to mind. Just to see if Starscream could actually manage to present a strategy in a reasonable manner, Megatron decided he would call Starscream to his quarters the next morning with the intent of having the Seeker make their raiding plans. He would relish in Starscream's failure. The continued banter of the Seekers recaptured his attention.

"Only because you don't think he values you enough as his Second in Command and Air Commander," Skywarp countered.

"That's because he doesn't! What kind of Air Commander doesn't get to command while in the air? What kind of Second in Command doesn't get to make secondary commands? He's supposed to let _me_ handle logistics and help him with planning our strategies, but what do I do instead? I sit on my aft until he decides he needs a punching bag. If it weren't for you two, I would have quit a long time ago and gone back to exploring the slagging universe," Starscream shouted out frantically, the last of his calm demeanor disappearing.

"Don't kid yourself, Screamer. You'd never go back to exploring the universe. You like being a Decepticon too much," Skywarp stated. Starscream slumped down a bit on the berth. Megatron was thoroughly amused by the violet Seeker's admission. Starscream still enjoyed being a Decepticon? He wondered why. He had certainly made the Air Commander's life unbearable. The Seeker did seem to love the life of treachery, arrogance, and selfishness though, so he supposed it fit. The thoughts drifted from him as Skywarp stepped to the other side of his trine leader and imitated the motions of Thundercracker on Starscream's left wing. The Decepticon Air Commander relaxed substantially.

"It's _infuriating _to be constantly underestimated. If I was in command, I'd play off all my subordinates' strengths! I wouldn't allow myself to be blinded the way Megatron is! He thinks so little of me as a warrior, but I have fought by his side in countless battles! Haven't I proven myself yet?" Starscream asked. Skywarp leaned down and kissed his leader on the cheek.

"You're doing fine." Skywarp's normally playful demeanor had been replaced with a gentle sincerity. Megatron's confusion leaked over to his Communications Officer.

"I was under the impression that Skywarp was bonded to Thundercracker. Is he with Starscream instead?" asked the gun-former, surprised by the Seekers' intimacy.

"Negative: Skywarp and Thundercracker are bonded. Seeker relationship allows for physical interactions between all three. Observation: Starscream is trine leader. Skywarp and Thundercracker attempt to calm him with touches to his wings. Theory: Physical interactions establish trust within trine. Perhaps they are repaying him for protecting them in combat," Soundwave stated. Megatron said nothing further and instead returned his attention to the screen. Starscream had offlined his optics, furthering Soundwave's trust theory. Thundercracker and Skywarp continued their ministrations for a moment longer before Thundercracker spoke.

"Warp, do you think you could teleport to his quarters? He needs a good recharge," the blue Seeker requested. With a compliant nod, Skywarp transported the Seeker trine to Starscream's room. Megatron turned off the screen and stared neutrally at Soundwave.

"Since you can read my mind when I'm like this anyway," Megatron waved his arms in a huff of anger, "I'm certain you've realized that I don't understand. How long have they been doing that?"

"Since they became a trine. Starscream: Refrains from more violent urges toward you as a result of his trine mates' offered comfort. Seeker rituals: Very old. Suggestion: Further observation may help you understand," responded Soundwave.

"I'll keep that in mind," Megatron tapped his chin thoughtfully for a moment, "In the meantime, _you_ can monitor their interactions. It seems that Skywarp and Thundercracker are more loyal to Starscream than they are to me. I'd like to understand this further before I accidentally, or perhaps purposely, offline that idiot."

"As you command, Lord Megatron," was all the gun-former heard as he exited the control room, thoughts of his Air Commander running rampant through his processor. He wished to discover just how close his head Seeker trine had become. How could he have overlooked such a detail? He went over the facts in his head. It wasn't that difficult actually, he quickly realized. Starscream had been terrible to his trine mates over the many years they were together. He knew they were friendly on some level, but Starscream had done things that would break up even the longest of friendships- like the one the Air Commander used to have with Skyfire.

Megatron also knew that Skywarp, Thundercracker, and Starscream had known each other before Starscream joined the Decepticons, but they had become a trine after he joined. Briefly, the tyrant thought back to when those three had become a trine, back when Starscream was still a fairly fresh recruit.

* * *

_Starscream simply walked up to Skywarp and Thundercracker, both of whom were a higher rank than the young Seeker at the time, and verbally challenged them to a battle. Or at least everyone thought that's what had happened since Starscream had spoken in a Cybertronian dialect none but the Seekers knew. The only real indication that it was a challenge was Soundwave's slightly cocked head and hand moving toward his weapon._

_Megatron himself thought the flier had ill intentions as well, and hoped to Primus that his perfect little Starscream wasn't going to make trouble. Thundercracker and Skywarp agreed happily though, and Skywarp even seemed excited at the prospect. Megatron planned to stop them- he didn't need his soldiers fighting each other- but the tempering voice of a newly understanding Soundwave stopped him. The tape-deck went on about Seeker traditions and how harmless it was, so Megatron relented under the condition that he could watch. The three fliers didn't seem to care, and Starscream positively beamed at the idea of his leader watching what he planned to do. Skywarp disappeared momentarily, returning with the Coneheads in tow, demanding that they be present as well._

_And so Megatron, Soundwave, Thundercracker, Skywarp, Thrust, Ramjet, and Dirge left the base and stepped into unusually pleasant weather on Cybertron. Megatron mused that Starscream waited for such weather conditions, so everyone could watch their battle clearly. After some chattering amongst the Seekers, Starscream broke away, followed by Thundercracker and Skywarp. They stood at opposite ends on an empty road not too far from their towering base. The spectators waited close to the base, and the remaining Seekers chattered away hectically. _

_Megatron suddenly realized that he didn't even know why the fliers were fighting. Soundwave easily intercepted the confused thoughts and turned to speak to his leader, though he waited until Starscream went into action before saying anything. The young recruit jumped up into the air and flipped himself backward while transforming so that his nosecone pointed to the sky. He shot into the air, flying around in patterns alone for a moment. Soundwave spoke._

"_Seekers: Communicate using body language as well as speech. Starscream: Shows the others he currently flies alone and desires Thundercracker and Skywarp as his trine mates. Starscream: Wishes to be trine leader. He must prove his ability as a flier. Thundercracker and Skywarp: Will become his trine mates if defeated in aerial combat. Generally, the objective is to knock your opponent out of the sky." Megatron let the tape-deck's invasion of his mind slide. The thought of Starscream fighting proved more exciting than berating Soundwave, something he was sure prompted the tape-deck to speak up in the first place._

_The ex-gladiator loved a good fight, though all the battles he'd seen prior to the war were fought on the ground. He himself could only transform into a gun, so he'd never really thought about aerial battles. He left that up to his current Air Commander. Soundwave regained his attention when Thundercracker and Skywarp shot into the air in the same fashion as Starscream, and the three fliers circled around for a bit in those same patterns from before._

"_Thundercracker and Skywarp: Accepted the challenge and agree to be Starscream's trine mates if he wins."_

_Megatron nodded and watched with interest he didn't bother masking when the three Seekers began their battle. Originally, the gun-former figured Starscream would take Skywarp out first since the violet Seeker possessed the ability to teleport. Instead, Starscream focused his attention on Thundercracker first and foremost as the three fliers tore through the sky in a series of turns, slingshots around buildings, barrel rolls, and a variety of other maneuvers whose names escaped the gun-former. Thundercracker and Skywarp fought as a team, the former leading the latter through an assortment of duet movements. Megatron noted the care all three took to avoid shooting one another's wings, a tactic he found to be ridiculous. The thought disappeared as Megatron continued to watch Thundercracker and Skywarp try to gain the upper hand in combat. However, Starscream always seemed to be a step ahead of them, and after a while, he finally downed Thundercracker. The dominantly blue Seeker lost the use of his thrusters and sank to the ground. His landing wasn't too rough, but he transformed and remained seated on the ground as he watched Skywarp and Starscream finish the fight._

_Skywarp's teleports seemed less thought out and his overall fighting grew sloppy. Without Thundercracker up there to lead him and complement him, Skywarp's flaws showed clearly against the abilities of Starscream. The warps made by the older Seeker didn't bother the younger of the two nearly as much as Megatron figured they should. Starscream took them in stride and soon began predicting the movements of his opponent. Skywarp's left thruster fell victim to the younger flier's assault and he plummeted to the ground much less gracefully than Thundercracker had. He transformed and tumbled along the ground for a few seconds, but when he came to a stop he merely sat up and laughed. _

_Starscream landed shortly after and helped Skywarp to a stand. The two walked to Thundercracker, who clearly couldn't stand on his own with his thrusters damaged so thoroughly. Starscream approached him and offered his hand to the downed flier. Thundercracker smirked and took it. Starscream pulled his new trine mate to a stand and pulled the hand he held across his shoulders. He intended to take Thundercracker to the medical bay to get fixed up. Skywarp followed close behind as they went back inside. The three Seekers chattered away in that same Cybertronian dialect from before, leaving Megatron guessing as to what they were talking about. Thrust, Dirge, and Ramjet cheered pleasantly and followed them inside. Megatron, still a bit confused, simply tacked it up to the strangeness that revolved around Seekers._

_

* * *

  
_

Megatron snapped out of his revelry. Only a few years after that, Ramjet had laid claim to the other two Seekers as his trine mates in a similar fashion. Seekers were far too strange, Starscream especially. The Decepticon Commander tried to cling to what originally brought him to thinking about the past.

Oh yes, Thundercracker and Skywarp's loyalty to Starscream. Something about that day so long ago cemented their loyalty to him. He supposed the same could be said regarding Thrust, Ramjet and Dirge. Come to think of it, Starscream and Ramjet had it out once before as well. Did that make Starscream head of all the Seekers? Fitting that he was Air Commander then, Megatron thought. He understood so little about Seekers and their culture, but perhaps it was for the best. Soundwave, who walked not too far behind in the cover of shadows, thought otherwise.


	3. Discovery

Here is yet another chapter. I'm about to go on my spring break vacation, so here is something extra to read in my absence. I'd also like to say thank you to those of you who took the time to review. I'm glad to see that you're enjoying my story.

Text in parenthesis is someone speaking over the com link.

All text that is italicized in bulk is a flashback.

Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers and don't get anything but personal entertainment from writing this.

Enjoy.

* * *

**Chapter 2: Discovery**

The next morning, the Decepticons awoke begrudgingly. They all knew Megatron would be in a foul mood as a result of their most recent failure. Starscream's optics snapped online and he sat up quickly, already on guard for attack, as he did most mornings. He noted his shift in the Control Room would begin in an hour's time after a quick checking of his chronometer. His left wing burned when he tried to stand. While Hook and the Constructicons did a good job of keeping their patients together, they did a terrible job of relieving the pain. Starscream spent a few moments adjusting it, hoping to work out the kinks. He looked to his right and saw his own Energon still smeared on the wall from Megatron's assault the previous day. He'd have to clean that up. The sound of Megatron over the com link interrupted his thoughts.

(Starscream, report to my quarters immediately.)

"Yes, Megatron, I'm on my way," he replied, attempting to hide tiredness and discomfort from his voice. He sighed. He really didn't want another beating, especially since he still felt so sore. When he opened the door to leave, Skywarp jumped out at him. Starscream yelped in surprise but quickly regained his composure.

"Not now, Skywarp, I have a meeting with our _dearest_ leader. If I'm late, he'll have my wings," Starscream said neutrally. Skywarp frowned at the absence of Starscream's lively nature. He nodded and ran off to find his bondmate to pester instead. The Air Commander was surprised at Skywarp's friendly attitude. Normally the teleport was sucking up to Megatron, not his trine leader.

Shaking the thoughts from his head, Starscream walked quickly to the Decepticon Commander's quarters. Along the way, he passed Thrust, who attempted to talk to him. Starscream simply ignored him and continued walking until he arrived at his leader's door. Unlike himself, Megatron had left his door panel as plain as can be. Starscream scoffed. Just because Megatron didn't decorate his door didn't mean he wasn't just as showy and arrogant as the Air Commander. He feared barging into the room would earn him a more aggressive beating, so he knocked instead. When he heard a muffled "Enter," he opened the door and stepped inside.

"You requested my presence?" Starscream tried not to fidget as he spoke.

"Yes, come here, Starscream," Megatron ordered. He sat at a plain metal desk with a computer atop it that he stared at intently. The Seeker obeyed and walked around the desk to stand next to his leader. He tried his hardest not to seem nervous or afraid, but his energy field betrayed him. Megatron knew his Second feared a beating and smirked, a gesture he knew Starscream would misinterpret.

"I'm working on our plans for our raid on an electric plant tomorrow," the gun-former stated casually. Starscream somehow managed remained silent.

"Why don't you take a look?" Megatron offered, motioning toward the monitor. His Second hesitantly leaned down a bit to get a better look at the screen, glancing at his leader every so often in fear.

"Don't look at me, fool, look at the screen," ordered the gun-former, his voice leaving no room for argument.

Megatron looked over to study the Seeker. Starscream's lip components were pressed together tightly in concentration as he ran though the figures in his head. His wings twitched every so often in his deliberation. The gun-former couldn't help but think back to what he had mulled over the previous day. Images of a younger Starscream chattering away pleasantly with Thundercracker and Skywarp danced around in his head. Now all he ever saw on the proud flier's face were sneers or devious smirks. So much had changed over the years. Starscream's face set into a frown, pulling Megatron from his revelry.

Decidedly, Megatron's plan wouldn't work, but Starscream feared speaking up about it. Normally, he'd jump at a chance to belittle the tyrant, but his repairs were still fresh and some of the morbid feelings from the previous day hadn't left him. When he finished viewing the plan, he leaned back up to his full height. The Decepticon Commander looked back over at him.

"Well?" the questioning tone in Megatron's voice unsettled the flier. He watched Starscream glance at the exit nervously.

"I will carry out your orders, Lord Megatron," the Air Commander stated, hoping compliance would prevent confrontation.

"That's not what I meant," the silver mech growled.

"W-Well, I think th-that you, well, I don't e-exactly," Megatron grew frustrated with the flier's sputtering.

"Out with it, Starscream! I'm giving you the chance to speak up about tomorrow's operation and you're throwing it away."

"It won't work," Starscream replied softly, his body tensing.

Though Megatron expected this response, he felt his anger rising as he spoke, "And what do you suggest we do to fix it?"

"You're asking me?" Starscream's voice squeaked.

"Yes, I'm asking you, but if you don't think you can do it, I'll understand," the Decepticon Commander challenged.

"I can! I just need a little time to work on it!" Starscream huffed indignantly.

"You can work on it during your shift, which you're about to be late for," Megatron decided.

"T-Thank you, Lord Me-Megatron!" the Air Commander stuttered before taking into account the fact that it was the mech he hated most he was talking to. "I won't fail you!"

Megatron wrapped a hand around Starscream's neck but didn't apply any pressure, "You'd better not. I'm giving you a chance to redeem yourself, but if you fail me, the consequences will be dire."

He gave the flier's neck a quick squeeze to make a point before releasing his Second, who rubbed his neck absently. Starscream left the room quickly, ready to burst at the seams from excitement. Megatron was letting _him _come up with the battle strategy. He _never _got to help with the battle strategy. This would be his chance to prove his superiority to Megatron and rub it in his face. This tactic was far more appealing than attempting to poison his leader's high grade or plant explosives in his quarters. He hurried to the mess hall where he grabbed a couple Energon cubes before rushing to the Control Room. Once there, he sat down at his assigned console and started working, pausing every so often to sip from his cubes.

Not long after, Megatron made an appearance. He walked briskly to his throne, sat down, collected the data pads Soundwave had left on one of the arms of the throne, and made himself comfortable. Briefly, he looked at his Second. What he found was truly amusing. Starscream had turned his chair around so that his chest rested on the chair's back, though Starscream himself faced his console. He was straddling the armless chair, leaning close to a monitor, and occasionally sipping on Energon. His wings shifted every so often in his concentration, something Megatron assumed the flier did to work out the kinks from his recent repair. Megatron hadn't seen Starscream so focused in a long time. He found it quite enjoyable. The flier was certainly charming when he focused on something so intently. Megatron frowned. He didn't just think that. He looked over at Soundwave and could have sworn he saw a glint of amusement pass across the tape-deck's visor. He cursed softly, his gaze returning to Starscream. The Seeker seemed to feel his gaze because he looked over at his leader with confusion. A hard stare was all the motivation Starscream needed to get back to work.

After some time, Starscream finished his work and transcribed his own plan over to a data pad. He placed the pad off to the side, near his emptied Energon cubes, and began his normal work load. When his shift came to an end, Starscream picked up his data pad and spent Energon cubes. He approached his leader cautiously.

"Lord Megatron," he said with strained politeness, "here is my battle strategy suggestion for tomorrow."

Megatron smirked at the meekness of his Second. The jet-former even went so far as to make sure Megatron knew it was simply a "suggestion". Clearly Starscream didn't want to enrage his leader and ruin the chances of his plan being used. After all, it was rare that Megatron considered the advice of his treacherous Second. In fact, Starscream still hadn't figured out why the gun-former decided to humor him, especially since only a day had passed since their most recent blunder, which Megatron blamed on him. He didn't plan on questioning it though. Instead, he kept the words of Thundercracker in mind_. _

"_I'm sure your input would be valued if you presented it in a more reasonable manner. Instead of shouting and mocking every portion of Megatron's plan during meetings, you should try simple suggestions with sound explanations. Be more scientific about it. That's something you should be more than capable of accomplishing. Perhaps Megatron will respond better to that."_

And he had been more than scientific about it. Starscream divided up every section of the plan neatly and supplied explanations and statistics every so often to back his reasoning. He waited patiently at the foot of Megatron's throne. After thoroughly looking over his Second's plan, Megatron looked up at Soundwave. He gave the Communications Officer a nod. The tape-deck took the hint and herded the other mechs from the control room- their shift was over anyway- before leaving himself. The large double doors of the massive room slid shut and locked tightly. Starscream couldn't help but feel a little nervous. Did he do something wrong? Megatron hummed pleasantly from his seat, setting the data pad aside as he did so.

"Starscream," the gun-former interlaced his fingers in his lap, "I've decided to humor you. We'll use your battle strategy tomorrow, and if it is successful, perhaps I'll reward you."

The Decepticon Commander barely contained the chuckle that bubbled up at the sight of his Air Commander's wings perking up ever so slightly. Clearly, the aspect of a reward excited him. Though, Megatron realized, anything probably seemed better than the normal abuse the Seeker was subjected to.

"Thank you, Megatron!" Starscream said shakily.

"Just don't let it get to your head. We'll be having our meeting shortly, and I expect you to keep your mouth shut about this. You breath one word of this to anyone, and you can forget ever creating any sort of battle strategy ever again, understand?" growled Megatron.

"I can't tell anyone this is _my _plan?" Starscream felt quite insulted. If his plan worked, Megatron would get all the credit. Of course, if the plan failed, it would be on Megatron's head as well. However, Starscream wouldn't put it past his glorious leader to shirk responsibility if things went downhill.

"No, you aren't going to talk about this to anyone," Megatron stood to his full height and grasped his Second's chin to force optic contact, "Not even your wing mates."

Starscream bared his teeth at Megatron but stopped himself from saying anything. He only had one shot at proving his worth to Megatron. He froze at that thought. Proving his worth wasn't what he meant to think. No, he definitely meant to think about proving his superiority. He would just have to sort his mess of a mind out later, perhaps with a good, long flight. By then, his face had relaxed, the tension fading along with his angry pride, and Megatron couldn't even guess what his Second was thinking. Perhaps kicking Soundwave out wasn't the best of ideas. Megatron released his grip on Starscream's chin, snapping the small flier out of his daze. The Air Commander took a step back, as if to regain himself.

"The meeting will be in two hours. Dismissed." Megatron looked back down at the data pad given to him by Starscream. The flier left abruptly, and Soundwave reentered the room shortly after.

"Could you read his mind?" It was clear who Megatron meant.

"Briefly. Starscream: Overly excited and conflicted," Soundwave replied. Megatron had expected the excited portion, but not the conflicted. Starscream always became excited when he got to do something he really wanted. He reminded Megatron of a sparkling, completely unable to contain himself.

"Why is he conflicted?" Megatron demanded.

"Many reasons. First: Unsure why you have allowed him to plan the next raid. Second: Unsure why you won't allow him to take credit for his plan. Third: Unsure what will happen if his plan succeeds or fails. Fourth: Unsure what his reward will be if he succeeds. Fifth: Uns-"

"That's enough, Soundwave," Megatron interrupted. He already knew of Starscream's countless insecurities- he didn't need a recap. However, if he hadn't cut Soundwave off, the tape-deck would have informed him of Starscream's emotional conflict. Soundwave would not pursue the explanation, though.

"I'll ask again, but I expect a straightforward response this time. Why is he conflicted?" Megatron tried to hide his frustration.

"Starscream: Wishes to ask you why you've given him such an opportunity but fears it will be taken away if he confronts you. His solution: Leave base for a brief flight to avoid you and to clear his mind." This response seemed more pleasing to the Decepticon Commander.

"Always the coward, Starscream," he chuckled, "You're dismissed, Soundwave."

* * *

The two hour waiting period passed rather quickly, and soon all the Decepticons were filing in the Command Center, which sat at the heart of the Decepticon fortress. Starscream arrived right on time and took his seat quickly around the massive, clear meeting table in the center of the room. His air intakes whirred softly, cooling him down after his flight.

"Have a pleasant joy ride?" Megatron mocked from the command chair on Starscream's left. The Air Commander desperately wanted to say something, but he simply turned his attention to Thundercracker, who sat to his immediate right, and struck up a conversation.

Megatron smirked and rose to his feet after a few minutes, prepared to start the meeting. All conversations ceased and all optics were on the Decepticon Commander. With his usual grandiose, Megatron explained the plan. At the end of his speech, many of the mechs at the table turned to Starscream, fully expecting some sort of retort from the arrogant Air Commander. When they were met with silence, a few jaws dropped. Starscream stood and took his leave without another word.

* * *

Many Decepticons were pleasantly surprised when they returned to base the next day with armfuls of Energon. The raid had been successful and all praised Megatron and his superior planning- all but one. Starscream retreated to his quarters, not feeling nearly as cocky as he should have. As suspected, he would receive no praise, no attention. He looked at his Energon stained wall and frowned. It still hadn't been cleaned and only reminded him of his distaste toward his leader. Now was as good a time as any to clean it. Quietly he fumed as he rid his room of the sight of his vital fluids. _His _plan had been a success, so he should have been pleased, but Megatron wouldn't let him have even a moment of happiness. Of course, he could have easily spoken up and claimed the plan as his own, but who would believe the traitorous Starscream?

A rough tapping on his door broke his focus. He quickly finished his cleaning and walked to the door. As he punched in the code to unlock it, he set his cleaning supplies down on the ground nearby. The door slid open. He looked up and couldn't keep from taking a step back.

"Megatron," he greeted. The gun-former let himself into the flier's quarters, forcing Starscream to step even further back. The Seeker bumped into the desk that sat in the center of his room. A few of the trinkets that sat atop it slid slightly from their designated places. The Air Commander didn't know what to expect.

"Starscream," Megatron finally replied, "Why are you in your quarters?"

"The battle is over and my shift has passed. I have no other obligations for the day," the Seeker explained, schooling his expression.

"Yes, but most of the others are celebrating our victory." Megatron smirked knowingly.

"I don't want to go out there and celebrate _your _victory," Starscream hissed.

"Still sore about that, are we? Well, perhaps this will cheer you up. I've come to give you your reward. Tell me, what would you like in return for our success?" he purred. Starscream tried to contain his unease as Megatron stepped closer. He had been dead set on telling his leader he wanted control of the Decepticons as his reward, but his words died before they even reached his vocalizer.

"I'm waiting." Megatron frowned. He had expected a fun retort from the flier, but instead Starscream stood silently nearby.

"Starscream, you coward," he prodded, "I'm here offering you a reward, and you are too scared to claim it."

"Coward? I'm not too scared to claim my reward, though I'm certain this is some form of trick!" Starscream shouted back. Megatron tried his hardest not to beat the flier silly right then and there.

"Fool, this is no trick. I told you yesterday you would receive a reward if you strategy was a success. Fortunately for you, it was. Now tell me what you want." Megatron took another step forward, leaving less than a foot between the two. Starscream leaned back on his desk, feeling incredibly uncomfortable having his leader so close.

"You should be able to guess what I want." Megatron laughed pleasantly at his Second.

"You think I would relinquish my command to you for one successful idea? You are more of a fool than I thought."

"I am no fool! Could a fool have come up with that plan? I don't think so!"

"Yes, but here you are, assuming one simple success earns you the right to be Decepticon Commander."

"You act as though I actually expect it. You asked what I wanted, and I told you. As for my reward, I don't know what to ask for that you could possibly manage to give me. Perhaps you could take half a second of your time to refrain from calling me names or beating me. _That _can be my reward." Megatron laughed heartily again at the smaller mech.

"Of all the things to ask for, you simply want me to stop picking at you? You've set your sights incredibly low this time, Starscream. What's come over you?" he asked.

"Low? I'd say they're pretty high standards! It's all but impossible for you to not take your anger out on me for _something_! I doubt you're even capable of it!" Starscream mocked. Megatron's hand reached out quickly, and the Seeker flinched. When the gun-former simply captured the nervous flier's chin between his thumb and forefinger, Starscream couldn't keep his gasp from escaping.

"Perhaps if you continue as you have today and yesterday, I won't need to punish you so often," Megatron leaned in close, hoping to intimidate the Seeker, "I can be kind when I wish."

He traced his Second jaw line with his thumb before releasing him, hoping to prove a point. If all Starscream wanted was less beatings in exchange for plans that worked, Megatron could deal with that. Starscream wasn't exactly sure how to respond. He had expected beatings for arguing, not a gentle caress. He shuddered visibly. Honestly, he should have just stuck with the whole "I want control of the Decepticons" response. Now it seemed that Megatron was mocking him. After all, Starscream had just admitted to the gun-former how much it bothered him to be berated and beaten. What a show of weakness. Yes, he definitely should have stuck with the first answer. Controlling the Decepticons, controlling Megatron, would certainly be wonderful.

He tried to stifle the numerous feelings that unexpectedly washed over him. The idea of controlling Megatron suddenly became incredibly appealing in far too many ways. Megatron didn't usually come so close to him without the intention of beating him into submission. Having him stand so close without choking him or striking him allowed Starscream's mind to drift to other places. Of course, Megatron's brief physical interaction didn't help either. Instantly, he cursed himself for such a stupid slipup in his resolve and tried to appear angry instead. He promised himself long ago he wouldn't think of Megatron like that- no good would ever come of it. Megatron was manipulative and dangerous. Starscream managed to calm down, and he only hoped his leader didn't take notice of his brief discomfort.

Megatron did indeed feel the telltale fluctuations in his Second's energy field. Surprise washed over him when he realized Starscream got a rise out of his nearness. He grinned dangerously. How could he pass up an opportunity like this? His treacherous Second _wanted _him. Was that why the Seeker asked for some kindness as his reward? The flier was trying hard to cover up his brief, yet revealing, lapse. Starscream obviously didn't want the Decepticon Commander to realize any desires he held regarding said leader. It would probably devastate Starscream if the object of his hatred brought him a brief moment of pleasure. However, Megatron didn't take any further action. Instead, he smirked down at the anxious flier, hoping to use only his words to tease the proud mech.

"Well, as I said, continue to be a productive member of this army, and I'll give you the…kindness you deserve, Starscream," Megatron teased. He would make Starscream come to him. How wonderful would it be to have Starscream come crawling to his berth, begging for release? The Decepticon Commander shuddered lightly at the enticing images his mind created but made certain to keep his outward appearance neutral. He left quickly, not knowing how much longer he could hold out, and his Second didn't need to know Megatron desired him. Starscream was too appealing for his own good, especially when confused and vulnerable.

Starscream stared at the door long after Megatron was gone. He had just shown the Decepticon Commander his greatest weakness- him. How stupid could he be? Megatron made it incredibly obvious that he knew, too. That pause in his speech had said it all. He needed to have a chat with his trine mates. He contacted them, ordering a meeting at their usual spot outside the base.

From the Control Room, Soundwave watched the feed from one of the hidden cameras in the Air Commander's quarters with masked interest. So Megatron was going to use the feelings he himself had previously detected in Starscream's mind against him? The gun-former in question walked casually into the Control Room. He approached Soundwave, ever curious about Starscream and his trine mates. The tape-deck frowned under his faceguard. While he wasn't particularly fond of Starscream's attitude at times, he didn't approve of Megatron's tactics. Further warping Starscream's mental stability wouldn't benefit the Decepticons in any way, and Megatron needed to stop lying to himself. Soundwave could feel the residual lust of his leader, and his frown deepened.

"What are you watching?" The Decepticon Commander's voice forced Soundwave back to reality.

"Seekers: Meeting outside the base for a discussion at Starscream's command," replied Soundwave. The monitor before him displayed scenery from Laserbeak's point of view. He had sent the cassette out to trail the three Seekers. Thankfully, they decided to fly there instead of having Skywarp teleport them, otherwise Soundwave would have no idea where they were going. Megatron leaned closer to get a better view of the screen. The trine landed and transformed. Starscream sat down and motioned for the others to the do the same. Thundercracker and Skywarp sat down across from their trine leader, staring at him expectantly. Briefly, they sat in uncomfortable silence.

"Why did you call us out here?" Skywarp was the first to speak, ever impatient.

"I know the past few centuries between us have been rough, but there is something I have to get off my chassis, and unfortunately you're the only two left I can sort of trust," the Air Commander began.

"Well, this is a terrible way to start a conversation in which you plan on confiding in us." Thundercracker's sarcastic tone hit home with his trine leader. If Starscream wanted to confide in his trine mates, he was going to have to be a bit nicer, something he quickly realized was impossible.

"Look, I'm not going to be able to say this nicely. You two owe me anyway since I saved you the other day," Starscream said.

"We don't need this TC, let's go," Skywarp growled, rising to a stand.

"Okay, okay, sit back down Skywarp. I'm not going to be able to act like some mushy Autobot, but I need to tell you two something. I need…well, I need," Starscream trailed off. Skywarp remained standing until his bondmate grabbed his arm and pulled him back to the ground. Thundercracker sighed in defeat. He was always willing to jump to his trine leader's aid.

"You need help," the blue Seeker finished.

"No! I don't need-," the Air Commander cut himself off before he could say something stupid, "Okay, yes. I need…help."

"Oh look, TC! Little Screamer wants our help now!" mocked the teleport. Thundercracker gave his bondmate a stern look.

"Let him be, Warp. I'm sure you know how difficult it is for him to even say the word 'help'." Starscream frowned at the second joke made at his expense. His patience was already wearing thin. Perhaps going to his wing mates for help was a bad idea.

"Alright, Starscream. You did protect us the other day, so I guess we _do_ owe you. What is the problem?" Thundercracker asked. The blue flier used that tone of his that indicated a sense of confidentiality and camaraderie. It meant that he and Skywarp could be trusted, that they wanted to help. It was something Starscream had been missing in his life. He made a note to himself to at least attempt to make amends with his trine mates. It certainly wouldn't be an easy task. After a few more minutes of mulling things over, the Air Commander spoke again.

"He knows," Starscream said quietly.

"What are you talking about?" Skywarp asked.

"Megatron. He- he found out that I uh, that I," Starscream felt awkward trying to discuss his feelings toward Megatron. Luckily, his trine mates seemed to understand what he meant.

"Megatron knows you love him?" Thundercracker asked.

"I don't _love _him, Thundercracker!" Starscream's anger rose exponentially.

"Don't kid yourself, Screamer," scoffed Skywarp. He received a glare for his words.

"Warp is right. We both know how you feel about him. There's no need to lie to us." Thundercracker felt slightly offended that Starscream wasn't even trying to be up front with his trine mates.

"Yeah, remember when you were no-rank little Starscream, fresh recruit of the Decepticon forces? How long did you stay up at night working on inventions for Megatron? How many times did put yourself in danger hoping he would look your way and notice your skill in battle? How many times did you kill the femmes and mechs you saw leaving his quarters after a party? Come on, you can't deny it for forever," argued Skywarp. Starscream frowned deeply but didn't disagree.

In the Control Room, Megatron didn't know how to react. Love? What kind of emotion was that for a Decepticon warrior to have?

"Query: Does Lord Megatron love Starscream?" Soundwave's question caused the Decepticon Commander to tense. In the brief moment of confusion, Soundwave read his leader's mind, documenting what he found for later use.

"That's a pretty bold question coming from a coward like you, Soundwave," growled Megatron. Honestly, the tape-deck didn't even care about the Decepticon Commander's verbal response. He had the response directly from the gun-former's mind, and that was all he needed. However, he needed to cover up the asking of such a bold question.

"Apologies: Simply wished to see if you reciprocated the Seeker's feelings. If you did, Starscream would be easier to handle," Soundwave smirked under his mask at his brilliant save. Megatron's curiosity at Soundwave's newest statement would certainly overwhelm his anger from the tape-deck's prying question. While the gun-former generally didn't miss much in terms of battle, he was incredibly ignorant in the ways of love and other such emotions.

"What are you trying to say?" asked Megatron, working steadily to keep mental barriers up to keep Soundwave out of his head.

"Starscream: Acts out to gain your attention. Thundercracker: Accurate in his observation. Starscream loves you. Theory: Starscream wouldn't feel a need to act out if his feelings were reciprocated. Result: No more treachery," Soundwave stated. He could tell Megatron thought about it more than he let on. Megatron returned his attention to the screen. The Seekers had just begun talking again.

"You were right all those years ago, Thundercracker. He is dangerous and manipulative. I'm better off looking for someone else," Starscream was saying. Megatron didn't realize his grip on Soundwave's chair tightened, but it didn't slip past the tape-deck's attention.

"You could always hook up with Thrust," joked Skywarp.

"I don't think so," Starscream frowned.

"Oh, remember that one time I caught him trying to hack in and find the door code for your quarters? When I talked to him about it, he said he was just making sure no one could hack in and sneak into your room while you were recharging. What a riot!" Skywarp's laughter rang out clearly. Starscream frowned. All thoughts of Megatron were out the window.

"Cut it out, Skywarp," the trine leader demanded. The violet Seeker transformed and flew up into the sky.

"Only if you can catch me, Screamer!" Skywarp yelled. Then he proceeded to shout to the sky that Starscream loved Thrust and even tried making up names for the sparklings they would have together. Starscream accepted the challenge and quickly transformed and pursued his trine mate. They stayed near Thundercracker, who was content watching from the ground.

Megatron watched as Starscream matched every move of Skywarp's, though Starscream looked more at ease performing each turn or dive. Eventually, the trine leader grew bored chasing his comrade. He sped up and passed Skywarp, only to pull up a little and transform to his bipedal mode. He landed atop jet mode Skywarp just as the purple Seeker passed under him. Megatron could just barely hear their mixed laughter over the sound of jet engines. He had never seen Starscream enjoy himself so. A large grin was plastered on the Air Commander's face as Skywarp fell toward the ground from the added weight, though it didn't seem like he was trying too hard to stay airborne. They were going to crash and all Starscream could do was laugh. Megatron was certain his Second in Command had lost it. When it seemed certain that the two Seekers would collide with the ground, Megatron clenched Soundwave's chair even tighter, leaving finger shaped dents in the metal.

Starscream activated his thrusters and Skywarp transformed in air. They hit the ground, though not too roughly thanks to Starscream, and tumbled a few feet together. When they stopped, Starscream was sitting on top of Skywarp, laughing contently.

"I caught you fair and square, Skywarp!" Starscream bragged haughtily.

"Yeah, but I'm not taking it back!" the teleport laughed as he suddenly disappeared from under his leader. He reappeared behind Thundercracker who chuckled pleasantly. Skywarp began his taunts once more.

"You cheater!" Starscream laughed, "You better take it all back or I'll tell Soundwave and Megatron that Thundercracker does your reports for you!"

Skywarp became incredibly silent.

"You wouldn't dare!" He was suddenly serious. Starscream cackled at his trine mate.

"Come on, Screamer, I was only kidding. You don't have to do anything drastic!" pleaded Skywarp.

"I won't, if you quit making jokes about me and Thrust," the Air Commander negotiated.

"Fine," the violet Seeker conceded, plopping down behind his bondmate. He wrapped his arms around Thundercracker and rested his head on the blue Seeker's right shoulder. Starscream sat down across from them, smiling pleasantly.

Megatron couldn't stop staring at his Second's charming smile. Why didn't the flier smile like that for him? Of course, Megatron knew exactly why Starscream didn't smile at him, but he still grimaced at the screen from his spot behind Soundwave.

Starscream migrated over to his trine mates and laid his head down in Thundercracker's lap, suddenly feeling the need for a brief nap. Thundercracker stroked his trine leader's left cheek absently until the Air Commander was soundly in recharge. Then he spoke to his bondmate.

"Do you think he'll be able to move on?" the blue Seeker asked, clearly referring to Starscream's apparent interest in Megatron.

"Not a chance."

Skywarp moved one hand to his lover's wing and ran his fingers along it absently. Thundercracker leaned into his bondmate. Megatron left the control room and walked to his quarters to think on a few things. Demons from the past saw fit to taunt the gun-former, and he needed to drown them in some High Grade.

* * *

Starscream continued to help Megatron with his battle plans, but after every raid he made sure to keep from running into the gun-former alone. He usually walked directly to the Control Room after the raids to help Soundwave file post-battle reports. The tape-deck knew the Seeker was hiding from Megatron without lowering himself to actually cowering beneath his berth, so he used the time spent near Starscream to try and gleam information from his mind. Unfortunately, whether he knew it or not, Starscream managed to block Soundwave from his mind more often than not. Occasionally, they would engage in conversation, though Soundwave made sure not to say too much. Starscream would certainly catch on to the tape-deck's game if he acted too out of character. They were supposed to hate one another, after all.

Megatron made it a habit to walk into the control room, but he acted indifferent to his Second in Command and generally took to sitting on his throne lazily. Soundwave knew the gun-former spent most of his time staring at Starscream, trying to come up with ways to corner the Seeker. Of course, the Decepticon Commander attempted to be subtle about it, but the nervous twitching of Starscream's wings told Soundwave that the flier knew what Megatron was up to, hence Starscream's eagerness to assist in the post-battle reports. The more time that passed, the more Soundwave realized there was another sort of tension rising between the two Decepticons, a sort of tension neither knew exactly how to handle.

* * *

It was only a matter of time before the Autobots caught on to the Decepticon strategy. When the Decepticons raided a nuclear power plant, the Autobots were ready. In the end, it was Megatron that ruined the plan, blinded by his overwhelming need to pummel Optimus Prime into the ground. Of course, he would never admit that it was his fault. After Hook repaired him, Megatron sought out his favorite punching bag. As usual, Starscream sat at his console in the control Room. However, Thundercracker and Skywarp were in the room, trying to coax their leader out to practice some flight maneuvers with them. When the doors swung open and Megatron appeared with a deep frown set on his face, they all feared for Starscream's life.

"What did you do now?" Skywarp whispered.

"Nothing!" Starscream hissed.

"Starscream!" Megatron's angry shout interrupted their conversation.

"Yes, Lord Megatron?" The Air Commander tried to keep his voice even but failed miserably.

"The rest of you, out!" ordered the gun-former. Skywarp and Thundercracker gave their trine leader a nervous nod before exiting, and even Soundwave seemed to look minutely concerned as he too walked out. When the doors slid closed and locked, Starscream jumped from his chair, fully prepared to do some good old fashioned groveling. It was obvious this time that he hadn't done anything wrong, but he really didn't want to lose his position as secret Decepticon strategist, nor did he want to spend too much time in Megatron's presence without others nearby.

"Your plan failed, Starscream." Megatron's voice was no longer a yell but no less intimidating.

"I'm sorry, Lord Megatron," apologized Starscream, holding his hands up in a surrendering gesture.

"Why didn't it work, fool?" The gun-former drew closer to the Seeker.

"I-I'm not certain," Starscream trailed off.

"That's unacceptable. I suggest you come up with an answer quickly."

"Optimus Prime, he-"

Starscream fell to the floor after receiving a backhand he wouldn't soon forget.

"I trusted you to come up with reasonable plans. I gave you the _privilege_ of acting as our strategist, and to repay me you come up with plans that fail miserably?"

"This was the first plan that failed! It was only a matter of time before the Autobots came up with a way to counter the strategy, but I can come up with something else, I promise!"

That was an answer Megatron liked to hear. Everyone knew the Decepticons were doing so much better in their campaigns the last few weeks, and only Megatron and Starscream knew why. The Decepticon Commander couldn't risk keeping Starscream away from their strategies. Even Shockwave had complimented Megatron on his increasingly sound and logical plans. There would be no turning back. Starscream had to be their strategist for keeps. The other mechs weren't necessarily stupid; they just didn't possess such a quick, calculating and analytical mind like the Air Commander.

"You are to come to my quarters tomorrow before your shift, and you had better be prepared to create a whole new approach to combat. If you aren't up to it, don't bother showing up." Another challenge. Starscream locked optics with his leader, incapable of backing down.

"I'll be there."

Megatron smirked, inching ever closer to the Seeker. Seconds later, they stood with barely a feet between them, and Megatron could feel Starscream's growing nervousness.

"I need to go practice flight drills with the Seekers. We have a scheduled day for practice, and if I don't get out there soon, they're going to-" Starscream stopped speaking when the Decepticon Commander gripped his chin.

"You talk too much."

With that, he crushed their lips together. The Air Commander jerked back, breaking contact with his leader.

"What are you doing? You hate me! It's strange enough that you let me participate in something _important_ regarding this army, but this is getting out of hand! You need to go see Hook." Starscream backed away slowly with each word until a good distance was between them.

"Come now, Starscream, you can't tell me you aren't interested." Megatron smirked as he stalked toward the flier.

"Wh-What? You're crazy! I have no interest in a quick romp with the likes of you! Stay away from me!" Starscream held his arms up defensively, hoping to ward off the larger mech. Of course, such a tactic was futile, and soon Megatron was upon him.

"Hmm, you cooling fans and energy field say otherwise." And of course, Starscream's fans whirred away noisily and his energy field fluctuated just so.

"No-no, I would never want to do something like that with you! It'd probably be the same as receiving a beating from you- painful, one-sided, and fueled by your hatred toward me!"

"Foolish Seeker, you're the one who hates me, remember? Besides, wasn't it your wish for me to act a little better toward you?"

And again, Megatron attacked his Second, intent on getting what he wanted. Fortunately for Starscream, alarms sounded off, indicating an immediate emergency. The Seeker jumped to his computer terminal, eager for the distraction. The Control Room doors burst open not too long after, and Soundwave, Thundercracker, and Skywarp stepped back inside quickly. They, too, manned their respective consoles.

"The radar was picking up some strange signals, six or seven of them, it's hard to tell. But it's definitely not of Autobot origin," relayed Starscream. The others quickly confirmed his results.

"Perhaps it's the humans?" Thundercracker suggested.

"Signals: Cybertronian in nature but completely gone now. It could be an Autobot trick." Soundwave's visor glinted in a manner that betrayed his calculative mindset.

"It's likely that it's a trick. There aren't any Cybertronians that have the means to fly through space that aren't already here," Skywarp declared.

"Keep an optic on these signals, Soundwave. For now, we'll simply observe," decided Megatron.

"As you command, Lord Megatron."

Before Megatron knew it, Starscream was exiting the room with Thundercracker and Skywarp in tow. He could have easily ordered the flier to return so they could finish what they started, but he knew the Seekers were supposed to practice drills and his army came first. His little game could take a back seat for now. It simply gave him more time to plan his next move, though his first move hadn't exactly been planned.


	4. Dreaming

And here is yet another chapter. I go on my spring break vacation tomorrow, which I won't return from for a minimum of one week. I won't be able to work on Apex while I'm gone, which is why I've tried to get a couple chapters out before I leave.

Text in parenthesis is someone speaking over the com link.

All text that is italicized in bulk is a flashback.

Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers and don't get anything but personal entertainment from writing this.

Enjoy.

* * *

**Chapter 3: Dreaming**

The next morning rolled around quickly, and the mystery signals seemed to be a trick. Nothing else appeared on radar and Soundwave picked up no disturbances on any frequency. The possible Autobot trick soon became a second thought, for the Decepticon Commander had other business to attend to. As promised, Megatron had Starscream come to his quarters before his shift in the Control Room was to begin. Minutes later, a light rapping sounded at his door.

"Enter." Megatron's voice was deep and commanding, sending anxious shivers through Starscream's circuits. He forced a puff of air through his intakes before opening the door and stepping inside.

"You called for me?" Starscream attempted to sound as formal as possible, fearing he would be on the receiving end of attention he couldn't deny wanting. He had gone a number of centuries without hinting at his attraction for the gun-former once, or so he thought, but that was mostly because Megatron had never really gotten close to him without the intent to harm him. Sure, before Starscream's promotion to Second in Command, they had plenty of casual conversations, but as soon as Starscream realized Megatron felt nothing for him and was playing him for a fool, he distanced himself and became quite reclusive. Thus was born the arrogant, scheming Starscream everyone came to know. Of course, they all attributed it to Starscream's promotion to Air Commander and Second in Command of the Decepticon forces, but his promotion just happened to coincide with a few less known events. However, he didn't plan to deter anyone aside from his trine mates from thinking such things- not even the object of his affection.

"Starscream!" The Seeker snapped out of his revelry and could only guess that Megatron had called his name a few times before and had resorted to yelling.

"Lord Megatron, I'm still waking up," Starscream said hurriedly. Megatron seemed to shrug off his slipup though.

"Come here," commanded the gun-former, his voice a pleasant purr. Starscream maintained a neutral expression as he obeyed, trying to ignore what his leader's voice did to him. Unfortunately, Megatron knew exactly what effect he had on Starscream. The Seeker just hoped their informal meeting wouldn't last too long. His body began heating up against his will the closer he got to his leader. In an attempt to distract himself, Starscream focused his attention on Megatron's computer terminal.

"Take a look, but take your time. I've replaced you for the first shift in the Control Room. You and Blitzwing will trade for the day. Sit." Megatron rose from his chair and motioned for Starscream to take his place. The Seeker grew increasingly uncomfortable. Their previous meetings had never gone quite like this. Megatron always gave Starscream a skeleton of a battle plan, but he allowed the Seeker to work alone on it during his shift, with plenty of others in the same room.

"What are you up to?" Starscream couldn't stop from asking. His paranoia was creeping in fast.

"I wish for us to spend the day making arrangements for the greatest Energon run yet. We will do so without distraction, here in my quarters," Megatron replied neutrally enough. Starscream eyed him carefully for a moment.

"Why do you wish for _me _to sit instead of making me stand? Where will you sit?" Starscream asked, clearly looking for some sort of trickery in Megatron's words.

"It will be sorted when I return." With that, Megatron turned and left. The Seeker stared after him for a moment before returning his gaze to the monitor. With a relenting shrug, he took a seat in his leader's large desk chair. It was spacious enough to comfortably fit his wings if he adjusted them to just the right angle, though he knew it would become uncomfortable after some time.

Megatron's desk didn't have much on it. Starscream's curiosity got the best of him, and he pulled open the top drawer. The only thing inside was a data pad. After looking up at the door to make sure Megatron wasn't walking in, Starscream turned the data pad on. A small gasp escaped his lip components. So Megatron saved a picture from Starscream's promotion ceremony all those years ago, too? The Seeker quickly turned it off, threw it back in the drawer, and slammed the drawer close. He took to reading the monitor.

Not long after, Megatron reentered the room. Starscream looked up, briefly wondering what the gun-former had been doing and why he hadn't brought an extra chair. Since he had already read over Megatron's skeleton plan, Starscream got out of the chair. He wanted to avoid all confrontation and close contact with the gun-former. Of course, he couldn't exactly avoid Megatron, but he planned to do his best. Hurriedly, he stepped away from the desk and moved to lean against the wall instead. Momentarily, he considered sitting on Megatron's berth, but the implications were overwhelming and he quickly decided against it.

The Decepticon Commander smirked and sat down in his chair, bringing a number of Energon cubes from hiding and setting them on his desk. Starscream eyed the potential meal hungrily. Generally, he would have refueled already.

"Come here, Starscream," Megatron commanded. His voice was free of its typical malice, which should have been the first sign that he was scheming. However, Starscream approached without second thought.

"Drink." Megatron motioned toward the cubes on his desk. When the Air Commander didn't make a move for the Energon, Megatron frowned.

"They aren't poisoned, you paranoid fool," the gun-former sighed. He took a random cube from the table and downed it carelessly. Though not thoroughly convinced, Starscream grabbed a cube and sipped from it tentatively. It seemed normal enough, which was suspicious in and of itself. The flier remained standing near his leader, drinking his fill of Energon. All the while, Starscream tried to come up with the best way to avoid awkward confrontation with his leader. Normally, he blurted out whatever was on his mind whenever it came to mind because he knew it annoyed Megatron greatly, but it was time to change tactics. Obedience and usefulness would keep Megatron occupied- he hoped.

"Come closer, Starscream." Megatron turned in his chair, ushering the flier over with a motioning of his hand. The Seeker shuffled closer but stopped when he bumped into his leader's chair. An uncomfortable silence hung in the air. Starscream frowned and tried to get their little meeting started.

"What portion of the plan would you like to discuss first?" the Seeker asked as evenly as possible. Megatron grinned mischievously while Starscream stared at the computer terminal.

"Why don't you have a seat?" he asked casually.

"What, on the floor? I'd rather stand," Starscream grated.

"Come now, we can share my seat. I won't bite," Megatron chuckled. Starscream frowned deeply. What sort of challenge was this?

"I know what you're trying to do, Megatron, and it's not going to work. We're supposed to be creating battle plans, and that's all I intend to do while in your quarters," Starscream snapped before calming slightly and offering, "I can go get a chair from another room."

"That just won't do. There isn't enough room behind my desk for two chairs." Megatron felt slightly offended that his Air Commander was so put off, but why wouldn't he be? Megatron was his greatest tormentor, and even his current actions were meant to make the flier uncomfortable.

"I'll get another chair anyway, just to see." As Starscream turned to leave, Megatron grabbed his wrist and pulled him into his lap. Starscream yelped in surprise and struggled to get free, but Megatron easily overpowered him.

"Why are you doing this?" The Seeker failed to hide his fear. He stiffened when he felt Megatron moving behind him.

"Calm yourself, Starscream. Let's begin our work." The gun-former moved his arms under the flier's to reach the keyboard of his computer. Starscream flinched as Megatron's chest came into contact with his back. The Decepticon Commander leaned over, moving his head over Starscream's left shoulder to get a better view of the screen. The Air Commander knew he couldn't do much in terms of battle from his current position, so he decided against attacking. That didn't make him anymore comfortable with the situation, though. With a quick series of keystrokes, a holographic image of the nuclear power plant they were going to raid appeared. So far, the nuclear power plants they raided seemed to give the largest energy payload, which led Megatron to choose another plant as their target.

"Tell me," Megatron started, his voice soft and enticing in Starscream's audio receptor, "Where would you position your fliers in this situation?"

Starscream watched the simulation Megatron ran, his processor quickly deciding the proper response. He tried, in vain, to ignore the wonderful feeling of Megatron's chest against his back and head so close to his own. After a brief pause, the flier responded, refusing to back down from his leader's strange challenge.

And so their meeting continued in such a fashion. Megatron would ask a question and Starscream would respond rigidly. Every so often, the gun-former would adjust himself in his seat, haphazardly brushing against one of Starscream's legs or wings. Once, Megatron even grabbed Starscream by the hips and reseated him in his lap. The flier yelped, stunned that the gun-former didn't make any sort of move. Toward the end of the meeting, the Seeker finally had to readjust himself to relax his stiff wings. He leaned forward and rested his elbows on the desk. Given his close proximity to the silver mech, he didn't have much space to adjust. He did what he could, which captured Megatron's attention quite thoroughly.

"Having some trouble, Starscream?" the gun-former chuckled. Starscream turned from his already humiliating spot on Megatron's lap.

"No." The Air Commander snapped. However, his wings perked up slightly, almost as an invitation to the Decepticon Commander. Megatron knew he had promised himself to force Starscream to come to him, but why pass up a bit of fun? He placed fingertips only on the backs of the Seeker's wings. The response was immediate. Starscream jumped, releasing a soft hiss at the unexpected contact as he did so. Sensing the flier's desire to flee, Megatron spoke.

"Relax, fool. If I wanted to hurt you, I would have done it by now," the gun-former assured. Starscream gripped the desk tightly, unsure of what to do.

"Me-Megatron, you don't kn-know what you're d-doing!" The Air Commander panicked. He even started trying to climb over Megatron's desk to get to the door. Megatron wrapped his powerful arms around the Seeker's waist to keep him seated.

"Calm down, Starscream. Quit being so overdramatic," the gun-former puffed. When Starscream realized he couldn't free himself from his leader's grasp, he relaxed a little, just enough to trick Megatron into thinking he was done struggling. The Decepticon Commander returned his hands to the flier's wings. At that moment, Starscream intended to bolt from the room without looking back, but all thoughts of escape melted under the silver tyrant's touch. He slumped over, resting his arms on Megatron's desk as the gun-former applied just the right amount of pressure in all the right places. The flier let his head roll back in enjoyment, his self-control long gone. Megatron grinned mischievously. At this rate, Starscream would be begging him for more attention in a matter of minutes.

He became impatient when the Seeker failed to turn around and demand to be ravished. He moved his hands to the wing joints on the flier's back and ran them along the length of the seams. Megatron wasn't prepared for the Seeker's reaction. Starscream arched back into the touch as a soft moan escaped his lip components. The gun-former almost couldn't contain himself. His grin widened and he moved his hands back out along the expanse of Starscream's wings. He took to tracing the leading edges of the appendages. Megatron generally didn't take fliers to his berth because most were so arrogant and demanding, so his experience with appendages like wings was limited, but it seemed as if no touch was wrong, as long as it was light.

A few of Starscream's secret fantasies were coming true. Logic took a back seat to the sensations Megatron was causing. He suddenly felt a mouth on his neck, nipping away pleasantly. The Air Commander leaned his head away from the side Megatron was attacking to give the gun-former more room to play. The Decepticon Commander growled sensually and pulled the Seeker flush against his chest with one arm. He was falling victim to his own scheme and there was nothing he could do to stop it. He fully intended to carry the flier to his berth and ravage him, but a call on his com link distracted him. His ministrations instantly ceased at the sound of Soundwave's voice.

(Lord Megatron, I have Shockwave on screen in the control room requesting your presence. Shockwave: Urgent in his request.)

The gun-former growled angrily.

"I'll be there shortly."

He cut the com link and spoke to the disappointed Seeker in his lap.

"We'll have the meeting tonight, before you work the late shift on your own." Megatron turned his chair and pushed at Starscream's back as a sign that the flier should stand. The gun-former left his hands flush against the Seeker's back so that when Starscream stood, black fingers slid along white wings. Starscream visibly shuddered, bringing a lust-filled grin to Megatron's faceplate. The Air Commander exited with haste, baffling others as he left Megatron's quarters none the worse for wear. He rushed to the mess hall, grabbed a few Energon cubes, and sat down at an isolated table. His wings twitched behind him, reflecting his anxiety.

"Screamer! We were wondering where you were!" Skywarp rushed out of nowhere to the table with Thundercracker in tow.

"Where have you been?" asked Thundercracker.

"I was on a _special_ mission for Megatron," Starscream replied, his tone clearly indicating that it was an off-limits topic.

"We missed you on our shift this morning, though Blitzwing was in there for some reason. I'm surprised Megatron let you get off work like that," Skywarp pouted, wishing he had gotten of work as well.

"I didn't get off work. I switched shifts with Blitzwing." Starscream suddenly seemed tired.

"Maybe you should have a nap before you take your shift," Thundercracker offered. Starscream nodded in agreement. Skywarp placed a hand on the shoulders of his trine mates, teleporting the three of them to Starscream's quarters. Skywarp made sure his leader made it to the berth before disappearing with Thundercracker from the room. Starscream promptly fell into recharge.

* * *

When he woke, Starscream walked to the Command Center after a few brief stretches. Once inside, he realized just how early he was. No one else could be seen and it was half an hour before the meeting was scheduled to begin. Bored, Starscream did what he always did when bored and alone. Soon enough, one of his Null Rays sat on the conference table with a mix of tools around it. Perfecting the frequency and energy output of the Null Ray was a constant task for the Seeker, so it was no surprise that he managed to get lost in his work.

A sudden pressure settled on his right wing, which prompted Starscream to spin around in his chair and point his remaining Null Ray at the offender. His arm fell back to his side when the Seeker realized who stood before him.

"Megatron! The meeting doesn't start for another fifteen minutes. What are you doing in here?" The Air Commander couldn't stop the variety of feelings that sprang up in the gun-former's presence. He didn't need any more attention from his leader. His mind was already a mess on its own.

"I'm always early. After all, what good leader wouldn't arrive to his own meeting early?" Megatron taunted. Starscream grimaced but turned back to his work. He risked much by turning his back on the gun-former, but he couldn't think of anything else to do. Keeping optic contact with Megatron just wasn't something he could manage at the moment. He returned to his work, hoping the Decepticon Commander would go about his own business. At first, Megatron walked away and set up the necessary items for his meeting. It didn't take long to organize, though. Soon enough, the gun-former sat in his seat, directly next to Starscream.

"You've partially disarmed yourself. That's unwise," Megatron warned.

"I'm perfectly capable of defending myself, even without weapons," Starscream huffed, finishing up the final work on his Null Ray. He started closing panels and tweaking final settings. Megatron watched with blatant interest. The Seeker enjoyed the odd form of attention but tried not to show it. Having the silver tyrant know even more of his weaknesses was out of the question. Before the flier could reattach the weapon to its spot on his left arm, Megatron snatched it away. He held it in his hands, looking it over. Starscream became incredibly uncomfortable.

"Such an odd weapon you've invented, Starscream. Not intended to kill, yet you work for the Decepticons." The gun-former mused.

"It could be used to kill someone if put on its highest setting." Starscream felt the need to defend his life's work, even though Megatron hadn't really taken a stab at it. Too late, he realized the mistake of telling the gun-former that the weapon he held could be used to kill his Second. The silver mech chuckled pleasantly and grabbed the Air Commander's weaponless arm as if it were a casual ordeal.

"What are you-," Starscream's question was answered before he could fully ask. Megatron attached the Null Ray to its proper place and released the flier's arm.

"It isn't wise to walk around unarmed, regardless of how skilled you think you are as a warrior. Not even I walk around without this." Megatron raised his right arm to display his Fusion Cannon. Starscream eyed the weapon warily. Long ago, it had been Starscream who made the weapon for his leader as a secret show of affection. Unfortunately, the Seeker didn't realize the weapon would be used against him.

"You wouldn't want someone to take advantage of you while you're unable to defend yourself, would you?" The suggestive undertones of such a statement didn't go unnoticed by the nervous Air Commander. Starscream checked his chronometer- five more minutes. Perhaps agreeing would keep him out of trouble.

"Of course not, Lord Megatron." Starscream didn't make optic contact with his leader as he spoke, afraid of what he might find. He felt a hand on his wing again and soon his chair was spun around to face Megatron. Momentarily, Starscream took the time to curse the rotating, wheeled chairs everyone demanded to have in the Command Center. Sure, they were comfortable, but they weren't exactly helping at the moment. This time, the Air Commander looked up at his leader's face. There he found a variety of emotions, most of which he couldn't place.

Before he had a chance to contemplate it for too long, Megatron had leaned over and captured the Seeker's lips in none too gentle a kiss. At first, the flier failed to respond, having gone rigid in shock. After a moment though, Starscream responded in full, fighting for dominance in the oddly timed kiss. Megatron hadn't really expected his Second to kiss back, but as soon as he felt lip components move against his own, he knew they couldn't stop until someone submitted.

Fortunately for both, the sound of laughter nearing the Command Center sent them both in opposite directions, effectively breaking the kiss and putting them at a draw for the moment. Starscream couldn't believe what just happened. He knew Megatron was just messing with him. The gun-former had only started acting physical with him after Starscream let it slip that he wanted the Decepticon Commander. Of course, the Air Commander had no idea that his leader had been battling with his own emotions as well. Currently, the tyrant was berating himself for initiating all physical contact with the Seeker when he told himself it would be a game and Starscream needed to come to him. It seemed like Starscream's trine mates' admission of their leader's feelings triggered Megatron into action. Certainly the Air Commander wouldn't reject the object of his affection. The gun-former was torn from his thoughts by the sound of Skywarp and Thundercracker walking into the Command Center. Skywarp was laughing obnoxiously about Primus knows what.

Soon enough, the other members of the Decepticon army filed into the Command Center. After everyone settled in, Megatron rose from his seat and gave an abnormally long briefing. For the second meeting in a row, all were shocked to find that Starscream made absolutely no objections to the plan. The Air Commander was the first to leave, quickly rushing off to the Control Room to begin his shift.

The halls were barren, but they would be since everyone was still in the Command Center. Everyone but him. Starscream trudged to the Control Room dejectedly. He was going to spend the night sitting in the Control Room all alone with nothing to do. How boring. The doors opened and Starscream stepped inside. He took his usual seat and stared blankly at the monitors before him. Surveillance was boring on its own, but the night shift was the worst. The Autobots were too respectful and wouldn't dream of attack the Decepticons when they were assumed to be recharging.

Starscream's mind began to wander. He thought back to his meeting with Megatron and the fifteen minutes prior to the raid briefing. How embarrassing. Disappointment washed over Starscream as he realized just how much he had wanted Megatron to make a move and how glad he was to feel the tyrant's hands on his frame and lip components pressed against his own. He grimaced at his console, suddenly grateful for Soundwave's interruption during his more intimate run-in with the Decepticon Commander. Then there were his trine mates who interrupted his aggressive lip lock with the gun-former in the Command Center.

He didn't need to get involved with a dishonorable, promiscuous, and far too charismatic mech like Megatron. Besides, the gun-former would probably tally him up as another of his numerous one night stands. Starscream's ego wouldn't allow for such an insult. He was no one night stand. He huffed angrily. Briefly, Starscream wondered if Megatron made him work the night shift alone just so he would fester over the day's events. The gun-former knew that Starscream wanted him at least on a basic level and had certainly used such information to his advantage earlier. The Energon in Starscream's system began to run hot. He growled angrily and slammed his fist on the keyboard of his console. He cursed viciously when he realized the extensive damage he did.

With nothing better to do so late at night, Starscream brought a small tool kit he kept on him out of his subspace pocket. Suddenly glad for the distraction, Starscream began repairing his console. So engrossed in his work was Starscream that he failed to notice the doors at the front of the room open and close. When he finished his repair, Starscream released a few satisfied, sparkling-like clicks.

"Do you make it a habit to break things to keep yourself from getting too bored, little Seeker?" Megatron's mocking voice sounded from nearby, making Starscream jump.

"Megatron! No, it- I, when I came in- it was an accident," Starscream stuttered. He wasn't prepared to see Megatron again so soon. He had hoped he could at least sleep on the issues or speak with his trine mates about it.

"And is speaking too difficult for you now so you've reverted back to your days as a sparkling?" the gun-former continued, completely ignoring Starscream's poor explanation. The Seeker growled angrily at such taunts. He didn't need Megatron's derision at the moment. He was far too high strung. To cover his nervousness, he blurted out the first insulting statement that came to mind.

"Everyone knows that the Autobots will never attack us at such an hour, so this shift is completely pointless! And you're right, for once. I was bored and I did break that keyboard just to have something to do!" Starscream couldn't stop himself from yelling. When he realized what he had done, the flier gasped. He was certain that all his chances of ever doing anything useful for the Decepticon cause were gone, but at least pride remained intact. Unsurprisingly, Megatron's hand wrapped around Starscream's throat.

"What was that, Starscream?" The gun-former's deadly tone sent shivers through the flier's circuits. Another feeling reared its ugly head as well, but Megatron didn't seem to care if he had noticed at all. Chances were high that the gun-former hadn't meant to get so into their earlier sessions of intimacy. Starscream realized that Megatron was most likely looking for a reason to beat him for that.

"I remind you that you are only helping with our raiding plans because _I _am letting you! Remember your place, fool," growled Megatron. He tossed Starscream across the room, and the Seeker landed in his leader's throne, his head smacking against the backrest painfully. The Air Commander felt dizzy and tried to stand, but Megatron was on him in an instant. The gun-former braced himself against the throne with one hand on either arm rest. He loomed over the lightheaded flier menacingly.

"Do you want me to stop letting you assist with our battle strategies?" Megatron threatened.

"No, no!" Starscream cried desperately before he could stop himself. The Decepticon Commander smirked.

"You want to continue helping me, don't you?" the gun-former teased.

"Yes, of course!" the woozy Air Commander shouted. He clapped a hand over his mouth when he realized what he said. The smirk on Megatron's face only widened.

"Hmm, how badly do you wish to help me, Starscream?" His tone became more sensual than angry. Memories from earlier that day flashed, unbidden, through the flier's mind.

"I- I," the Seeker couldn't finish. Suddenly Megatron was upon him, forcing Starscream's hand from in front of his face and engaging in an utterly dominating kiss. Starscream couldn't fully suffocate the moan that bubbled up in time, and it ended up coming out as a pathetic mewl. The Air Commander remembered his anger from earlier. Suddenly, Starscream regained his confidence. He placed his hands on Megatron's shoulders- a gesture the gun-former misinterpreted. With a firm shove, the Seeker sent his leader stumbling back as he leapt to his feet.

"I'm not one of your meaningless interface partners! I am Starscream, fastest flier in the universe, and a great warrior who deserves to be treated as such!" Starscream shouted, hoping to draw attention from the loud whirring of his body trying to cool itself down. Megatron bared his teeth in anger, ready to lash out at the mouthy Seeker. No one turned down the mighty Megatron!

The two mechs failed to notice the sound of the Control Room doors sliding open at the hands of Soundwave. The tape-deck was beginning his nightly rounds of shutting down everything that didn't need to be running in order to conserve energy. Aside from the surveillance system, that meant just about everything in the Control Room. He frowned beneath his faceguard when he realized what was going on. Megatron was completely ruining his chances with Starscream, chances the gun-former seemed to be taking earlier when Starscream was in his quarters.

"A warrior? Don't make me laugh! But don't flatter yourself, I would never take someone like you as a berth mate!" Megatron shouted. It was Starscream's turn to growl. Megatron had been all over him earlier!

"I am more of warrior than you ever will be, and I would _never _lower myself to bedding a primitive mech like you! I can't believe I wanted to help you plan out our Energon raids! Well, I quit! We'll see how much Energon you gather now!" The Seeker had certainly bolstered his own confidence somehow. Clearly he was covering his wounded ego with vicious words, a tactic Megatron mirrored from across the room. Soundwave stared in shock at the two mechs, waiting for the Fusion Cannon shot that would put an end to the argument. The tape-deck heard a gasp from behind and quickly wheeled around to find Skywarp and Thundercracker standing in the doorway. They were coming to collect their trine leader since his shift was technically over.

"I don't need _your _help to come up with raiding plans! I only let you work on them so you would stop complaining about how underappreciated you are as my Second in Command!" The gun-former was absolutely livid at that point.

"That's because I _am _underappreciated! You never take my advice, unless it's to fool with my head! You're an insufferable leader!"

"And you're an insufferable little brat who got promoted too early! If I could go back in time, I wouldn't have even recruited you!"

That was it. Starscream could only see red as he leapt at his leader. No one, not even Megatron, insulted his status as a warrior in the Decepticon army. He tackled the gun-former to the ground, pointing his Null Rays at the tyrant's head.

"You take it back!" the flier screeched.

"Never!" Megatron grated.

"I am your best soldier, and you know it! Without me, your army would be nothing!" Starscream was going crazy. Gone was his cowardly visage, replaced with the anger that burned inside him for centuries. Megatron growled and swatted the flier from atop him.

"You would do well to hold your tongue, Seeker!" The gun-former possessed enough rage to match his Second's.

"No! I'm tired of this army, and I'm tired of you! Do your worst, Megatron!" Starscream cried. The Decepticon Commander stalked over to his Second in Command, hand poised to strike. Thundercracker and Skywarp exchanged looks and Soundwave easily picked up on the conversation they held over their bond. The two Seekers walked past the tape-deck but didn't jump into the fight just yet. Discreetly as possible, Soundwave ejected Ravage from his chest, sending the cat on a mission of utmost importance. He transmitted the coordinates he gleamed from Skywarp and Thundercracker's conversation to the stealthy feline. Ravage was off in a flash, completely unnoticed by the occupants of the room.

Starscream sneered up at his leader, daring him to strike. For a split second, the Air Commander could see a twinkle of uncertainty in his leader's optics.

"You are a liability, Starscream." The hand came down upon Starscream's face, sending him reeling. The flier wiped away the Energon that ran freely down his split bottom lip component as he steadied himself. After another moment of hesitation, Megatron raised his Fusion Cannon. The gun-former's face became blank. Generally, when the Decepticon Commander brought his Fusion Cannon into the equation, Starscream became meek and obedient. However, the Seeker was far too enraged to do such a thing this time. Liability was a terrible adjective to use to describe the Seeker. He was done faking cowardice, for the most part, and he was done being walked all over by Megatron. Using his feelings against the Seeker was the last straw. Starscream couldn't deal with more of that on a daily basis. The pressure had already gotten to him.

"Do it, then! Shoot me! See if it makes me more compliant! Perhaps you've finally learned to aim by now and the shot will kill me! Though I doubt you _or _Primus would ever be that merciful!" The silver mech faltered slightly at the Air Commander's sharp words. Starscream wanted to die? He would prefer death over serving the mighty Megatron? Suddenly, Skywarp and Thundercracker appeared in front of Starscream. Skywarp pulled his trine leader close and placed a hand on Thundercracker's shoulder as the blue Seeker spoke.

"I apologize, Lord Megatron, but this has become a trine issue." And with that, the three fliers disappeared from the room. The furious silver tyrant fired off his Fusion Cannon with a vicious roar. The shot tore through the top of his throne and a portion of the wall behind it. Megatron wheeled around and caught sight of Soundwave, who didn't manage to escape in time.

"You knew Skywarp and Thundercracker were going to interfere, didn't you!" the gun-former accused.

"A-Affirmative!" Soundwave couldn't mask his fear.

"And why didn't you stop them, you coward?" Megatron demanded. Soundwave steeled himself and prepared the best answer he could think of.

"Ravage: Deployed to spy on Seeker trine. Skywarp and Thundercracker: Filled with anger directed toward Starscream. They plan to discipline him themselves. Information: Could be crucial to understanding Seeker, and therefore Starscream's, behavior. It was the most logical option." Megatron continued to fume but pointed a finger at Soundwave's usual console, as if directing the tape-deck to sit and display what Ravage was seeing. Soundwave complied silently. A monitor lit up, displayed the scenery around Ravage as he crouched quietly behind a bush. The Seeker trine stood nearby. Megatron closed and locked the doors of the Control Room, in no mood to deal with anymore visitors. He came to stand behind Soundwave, placing his hand on the tape-deck's chair. His fingers brushed against his finger-made dents there, and he looked down in surprise. When did those get there?

Starscream fell to his knees and bowed his head in submissive shame. His wings drooped noticeably. Skywarp and Thundercracker remained standing, glaring menacingly at their trine leader.

"What were you thinking, Starscream?" It was Thundercracker who spoke first, his fists clenched at his sides and his optics all but burning holes into Starscream's helm. The Air Commander didn't answer. Suddenly he was on his back, having received a vicious slap from an enraged Skywarp. Starscream remained there, making no move to retaliate.

"You're our trine leader! It's your duty to lead us, protect us, confide in us! How can you do any of that when you're busy begging Megatron to kill you! Why would you try to abandon us like that?" Emotions ran high in Skywarp's voice. Only after the violet Seeker was done speaking did Starscream return to his sitting position. He bowed his head again. He knew Skywarp was right. Never had he _begged _to be killed before.

"Skywarp is right. Your duty is to us, not Megatron. Leaders are supposed to protect their followers. They're supposed to be strong in the face of adversity, no matter the enemy, but you- you Starscream, are just a selfish coward." Thundercracker's voice was like ice. Still Starscream didn't budge or even speak. Megatron didn't know what to think, and Soundwave was just as unsure. The two groundlings didn't expect Starscream's trine mates to be so harsh. They were physically violent with the Air Commander. Even worse, Starscream was one hundred percent submissive about it, taking the punishment his trine mates dealt him. The flier had _never _done that before. Megatron frowned. The Seeker was supposed to submit to _him_, not his weak trine mates.

When it seemed like Skywarp and Thundercracker had nothing left to say, Starscream rose to his feet. His head remained bowed and his wings drooped behind him meekly. Energon dripped to the ground from the lip wound he received from Megatron.

"You two have every right to be angry with me, but I need you to understand," the Seeker began, knowing that losing his temper would not fix his current predicament, "The only reason I have put up with Megatron's abuse for this long is because of you two. But now, I don't think I can take much more. He crossed the line today. He knows how I feel about him, and he's already tried to use that knowledge to his advantage. The worst part is that I let him! I sat there in his quarters and _let_ him! And then in the Command Center…but I've come up with a solution. I'm going to leave and never come back!" Starscream said angrily. Skywarp gaped openly at his leader and Thundercracker tensed noticeably.

"You're running away? After all this time, you're just going to run away!" Skywarp was livid again.

"Yes, Skywarp. I'm a coward, remember? It's what I do. I'm not a warrior. I'm not a scientist. I'm not a Decepticon lieutenant. I'm just a coward who can fly really fast!" The Air Commander sounded so unnerved, completely opposite from his normal attitude. Thundercracker struck his leader in the face with a fierce punch. Starscream didn't flinch or even grunt in pain. Instead, he fell to the ground without a sound, aside from the clang his metal frame made as it hit the firm ground beneath him.

"Don't talk like that, Starscream," Thundercracker's voice cracked. The red and blue Seeker simply stared at the dark sky, making no move to get up.

"Why not, Thundercracker? It's all I ever hear. It must be true. Megatron thinks so, anyway. You know, I spent so much time and energy trying to impress him, but it always blew up in my face. I can't help but wonder what would have happened if I just didn't do anything at all. Do you think things would be different? Do you think," he faltered, his voice finally showing a hint of his rawest emotion, "Do you think I would be happy?"

Skywarp fell to his knees near his leader, all anger washed from his faceplate. Starscream looked over at him absently. Megatron scowled. He always noticed when Starscream was trying to impress him, and impressed was an understatement regarding the gun-former's feelings. The Decepticon Commander hated himself for gracing that traitor with positive thoughts.

"Warp, you're supposed to be punishing me for being a terrible leader. You're doing it wrong," Starscream lectured. Skywarp began to chuckle, and then began to laugh outright. Thundercracker and Starscream stared at him, equally confused.

"You know," Skywarp settled himself in order to speak clearly, "We should be punishing Megatron for being a bad leader. I knew something was strange about our last couple of Energon raids, and that's because it was _your _plan, not Megatron's. It just wasn't his style. And he didn't even give you credit for it. I would have told everyone it was my plan if I were you, but you just let him take the glory. That guy doesn't know what he's missing."

"Yes, you've given too much to Megatron, and he's given you nothing in return. Instead of protecting you or listening to you like a good leader, he just ignores you or beats you when wishes. He's forced you to act like a coward and plot behind his back because you have been heavily labeled and challenged as a cowardly traitor for so long. Megatron will probably never find out that it was his own fault that you killed Crossfire all those years ago, and that it's his fault you two are always at one another's throats," Thundercracker stated, taking a seat on the other side of Starscream, who remained laying on his back. It seemed that all ill words spoken about the trine leader were taken back or brushed off entirely. The trine's anger seemed to be redirected at Megatron.

"You two are terrible at fulfilling your duties. You're supposed to be blaming me, punishing me, but instead you're sitting here pitying me. It's my own fault that I've become what I am now. You know, I always used to think that Megatron liked me too, but- well, you both know how that turned out." Starscream chuckled darkly. Megatron's curiosity was eating at him. What in the world were those Seekers talking about? However, he couldn't help but think hard on Starscream's assumption. Megatron had indeed been quite taken with the young upstart of his army. Unfortunately, in Megatron's mind anyway, those feelings never quite went away. Instead, they festered in the back of his processor, and he only acknowledged them enough to properly suppress them.

"Soundwave, what's your assessment of this situation?" the gun-former asked, in desperate need of a distraction. His anger had clearly been diffused, much to Soundwave's relief.

"Starscream: Refers to a time just after his promotion. Starscream: Loved you then. He has been scorned for many years. His demand to be punished: Stems from a Seeker ritual of some sort I assume. Seeker trine leader is responsible for the well being of his two trine mates. This implies protecting them, communicating with them, and developing an overall sense of companionship. Starscream: Wished for death which would impede his ability to complete those tasks," the tape-deck replied.

"And the rest of what they're referring to?" Megatron questioned.

"Answer: Unknown. Events: Related to Starscream's first act of treason. I have no other information regarding Crossfire," Soundwave replied honestly. He was just as confused as his leader. The mechs looked back to the monitor.

"Screamer, you can't tell me you still love that fragger," Skywarp goaded.

"It's not like it's something I can control. I've tried every day of my life since I was promoted to Air Commander and Second in Command to stop loving that idiot. Unfortunately, my spark is more stubborn that Megatron himself," Starscream pouted angrily. Megatron was surprised to find himself smirking at such admittance. Starscream loved him, even now.

"That's because _you're _more stubborn than Megatron," Thundercracker pointed out. There was a long silence before anyone spoke again.

"Are you really going to leave?" Skywarp asked. All three Seekers knew that if Starscream really wanted to go, he could do so without being caught by anyone in the entire universe.

"No, Warp, I'm going to stay. Maybe one day Megatron will understand. If not, there's always Thrust." Skywarp stared at his leader for a long moment before busting into hysterics.

"You just made a joke! You're laying there moping, and you still managed to crack a joke!" Skywarp leaned down and hugged his leader, and Thundercracker couldn't help but chuckle himself, "But don't you ever try to get yourself killed like that again! We've forgiven you for a lot, but we'd _never _forgive you for that!"

Soundwave let a small smile grace his hidden faceplate. Secretly, he hoped Starscream was correct and that Megatron would in fact understand one day. He seriously doubted it though. The gun-former didn't know how to properly love anything but power. What a limited processor he had.

"Query: Do you intend to punish Starscream upon his return?" Soundwave asked monotonously, doing all he could to mask his burning curiosity.

"I am too tired to bother with such matters tonight." Megatron left the room on that note. Soundwave called Ravage back, shut down unnecessary systems in the control room, and left as well, pleased with Megatron's answer. Just as the gun-former left, Soundwave had felt wisps of an emotion touch his mind, courtesy of Megatron. How interesting the Decepticon forces could be.

* * *

It wasn't long before Skywarp teleported the Seeker trine into Starscream's quarters. Thundercracker and Skywarp made sure their leader made it to his berth and left in a flash. Starscream let out an exhausted sigh. From the shadows crept a large figure, instantly capturing Starscream's attention. Blood red optics came alive across the room, and Starscream sat up and aimed at the shadow.

"Show yourself, coward," the Seeker growled as Megatron stepped closer.

"Get out." Starscream sounded beyond tired, leaving his threat sounding empty. He lowered his weapons when Megatron continued to walk toward him.

"No, Starscream. I won't leave just yet, but I'm not here to kill you. I'm here to inform you that our plans will continue tomorrow as scheduled. We are raiding the nuclear power plant in the afternoon and I need you at peak performance. Can you do that for me?" Megatron asked, his voice almost soft. The tyrant reached out a servo to wipe away the Energon on his Second's faceplate that he had drawn earlier. The flier flinched but made no move to stop him. Starscream remained silent for a moment. What was the gun-former up to? Tiredness prevented him from properly thinking things through.

"I must be dreaming," he finally said, "Because you are _never _nice to me, especially after I insult you like I did earlier."

"Perhaps you are dreaming, though I did agree to reward you with a bit of kindness so long as you didn't fail me. I suppose you'll find out when you wake up in the morning. For now, rest. We have much to discuss after the raid." Starscream nodded at his leader and offlined his optics. When he assumed the flier was recharging, Megatron leaned forward and planted a small kiss on his Air Commander's lip components. He left quickly afterward, needing to get to his quarters as quickly as possible to plan around his latest goal. As the door slid closed and locked, Starscream's optics snapped online. He brought a hand to his lips and tried not to smile. After all, he was dreaming.


	5. Assault

Hello all. Sorry that I've been absent for so long. I got back from spring break and landed myself right in a large pile of work that I'm actually still sifting through. Not only that, but my birthday passed by during the time since my last update, so I've been quite busy. However, I've decided that I'm going to take a break from all that and write some more anyway. I greatly appreciate all of the feedback I've gotten from everyone. I'm glad you guys enjoy the story and hope you like this next chapter. It was a bit rushed, but I think it suits my purposes just fine. If it helps, there will only be a few more chapters of basic plot before the story picks up.

Text is parenthesis is someone speaking over the com link.

All text that is italicized in bulk is a flashback.

Enjoy.

* * *

**Chapter 4: Assault**

Starscream awoke with a start. He looked around his room nervously, relaxing when he realized no one else was in there with him. The previous night's events polluted his mind. Hoping it was the anomaly humans referred to as a dream, the Air Commander stood and began his morning ritual. Soon after, he was walking from the mess hall to the Control Room, Energon cubes in hand. Once inside, he sat down and began his designated tasks at his work station.

He visibly tensed when he heard Megatron's voice as the gun-former entered the room with Soundwave at his side. They were discussing the raid, and Starscream forced himself to focus on his monitor. Both mechs stopped behind Starscream's chair, which bothered him to no end. He didn't know if the two of them planned to offline him right then and there in front of the others in the room, because he was certain Megatron still harbored ill will toward him.

When he felt a hand rest on his wing, the Air Commander almost jumped out of his seat. Chuckling could be heard from behind, which the flier quickly identified as Megatron's. A scowl decorated his faceplate as he turned his chair so he faced the two ground mechs. He didn't speak but made sure to erase the distasteful frown from his face. Soundwave's penetrating gaze actually managed to make him uncomfortable for once. He took to staring at the ground, a gesture that slightly disturbed Megatron. Starscream never lost a stare-down to Soundwave.

"Starscream," the gun-former felt awkward talking to a meek Seeker, "Are you prepared for today's raid?"

The flier looked up, a touch of his usual arrogance present, "I'm always prepared."

"Excellent. We'll depart in three hours." Megatron mentally sighed at his Second's return to normalcy. He didn't want anything to ruin his raid, especially something that would technically be his fault. That's why, at least he told himself, he had Soundwave accompany him on his way to the throne to mentally monitor the happenings in the Control Room.

The tape-deck knew his leader really hoped he would read the Seeker's mind and find some juicy information there- information relating to a certain Decepticon Commander. The two mechs continued to Megatron's throne where they whispered back and forth. Starscream tried to eavesdrop, but they just weren't speaking loudly enough. He returned to his work with a disinterested frown.

When Starscream's shift was almost over, Megatron approached him again. Soundwave had since returned to his own post. When the gun-former stopped behind his chair, Starscream became nervous and excited. Surely Megatron wouldn't try anything funny around the troops. When the Decepticon Commander place his left hand on the flier's left wing and reached over his right shoulder, the Air Commander jerked.

"Me-Megatron, my Lord, wh-what are-," Megatron leaned his head down next to Starscream's left audio receptor and shushed him. The flier felt incredibly uncomfortable, especially with his leader acting so strangely again. The Decepticon Commander grabbed one of the Energon cubes Starscream had neglected all morning. At first it was out of nervousness, then he was trying to eavesdrop on Megatron and Soundwave, and then he became so caught up in his work that he completely forgot he had brought the cubes in with him.

"I told you last night that I need you in peak performance today. You'll need all your strength to meet my expectations, so I suggest you drink up." Megatron brought the meal to Starscream's face, and the flier frowned. Apparently, the events of the previous night weren't a dream. Did that mean Megatron wasn't bothered by the shouting match they had? He refused to be so optimistic.

"I can feed myself," he snapped, taking the cube from his leader and glancing around the room as best he could. When he realized no one else was around, he panicked.

"They're all preparing themselves for battle," Megatron informed.

"Then I should go prepare, too," the Air Commander stated, "I need to talk to the other trine, to make sure they-"

Again, Megatron cut him off, but it was with the simple act of turning his chair around. The Energon in the cube Starscream held sloshed around, some of it splashing out onto the Seeker's azure hand.

"Megatron, please don't," Starscream sounded pathetic, but he didn't care. He wanted to avoid awkward contact with the gun-former. After all, he had just told Megatron the previous night that he wasn't a one night stand kind of mech. Perhaps if he could convince Megatron to consider something more long term. Starscream forced such ridiculous thoughts from his processor. He could feel the beatings already.

"Don't what, Starscream?" Megatron purred. The Air Commander cleared his mind and focused on keeping the Decepticon Commander away.

"We should focus on the mission. It's going to be difficult to control every unit when- what are you doing?" Staying on topic proved more and more difficult as the minutes passed. Megatron had taken the cube from Starscream's hand and set it aside.

"I thought you wanted me to drink that." Starscream tried to reach back and grab the cube, but he found his hand in Megatron's grasp.

"Starscream," Megatron said softly, "You're so careless. You've spilled Energon on yourself."

"That's only because yo- Megatron! What in Primus' name are you _doing_?" Starscream lost it when Megatron's mouth latched onto two of his fingers. The gun-former sucked the digits clean, and then slid the fingers from his mouth slowly, letting his glossa swirl along the fingertips before he freed them. Starscream's mouth formed a small "o" shape as he watched. Megatron's actions were clearly suggestive, and the Air Commander desperately wanted to take the suggestions. He shook his head clear and grabbed the Energon cube Megatron had taken from him. He drank it quickly, for once in his life wishing it was High Grade. Then he grabbed the other nearby cubes and downed them as well.

"There, I've had my fill. Let's go," Starscream said nervously. Megatron smirked but leaned away and held his hand out as if to help his Air Commander stand. The flier gave his leader a calculated stare and eventually decided it would be best not to anger Megatron too much. He placed his hand in the gun-former's warily.

Not surprisingly, Megatron yanked him forward roughly. Starscream tried his best not to collide with the gun-former, but he still wound up smacking into Megatron's chest, only to stumble backward in a rare display of genuine clumsiness. The Decepticon Commander's free hand shot out around Starscream's waist to steady him.

The Air Commander looked up at his leader, hoping he didn't seem nearly as nervous as he felt. That typical, victorious smirk spread like a virus across Megatron's face. The gun-former was more than aware of what effect he was having on his Second in Command.

"It's not like you to be clumsy like that, Starscream," Megatron purred.

"I didn't- you pulled me up too roughly," Starscream replied, setting his face in a firm frown. The flier noted that he hadn't been released. Megatron planned to try something, and he didn't know how much longer he'd be willing to stop him. Their close proximity clouded the Seeker's judgment.

"Too rough, hmm? I apologize, Starscream. I didn't realize you preferred things to be so," Megatron paused to find the most accommodating word, "gentle."

The Air Commander opened his mouth to retaliate, but the look on Megatron's face had him snapping his mouth closed again in an instant. With an animalistic grin plastered on his faceplate, Megatron leaned down and kissed Starscream. This kiss felt less like a fight for dominance. One of the gun-former's hands remained holding Starscream's hand while the other was wrapped around the flier's waist tightly.

The Decepticon Commander was more than pleased when Starscream slowly began participating. The Air Commander moaned softly, parting his lips and granting Megatron access to his mouth. The gun-former pushed his Second back against the computer terminal, still holding one of the flier's hands tightly. Starscream had yet to do anything with his free hand, afraid that Megatron would strike him down if he became too daring. Mentally, he shrugged, and tentatively placed his hand on the gun-former's shoulder. The silver tyrant didn't even flinch, and instead he pulled the jet-former closer.

The Control Room doors slid open and Soundwave stepped in casually. Had he been paying attention instead of fussing over Ravage, he would have felt what was going on in the Control Room. Instead, he walked inside, only to stop dead in his tracks when he saw his two leaders making out. He stood, mouth agape behind his mask, as he watched Starscream's hand rise to Megatron's shoulder. Both of their minds were open books to the telepath. There was a pause as Soundwave decided his next move. Should he back away slowly and wait nearby for them to finish, or should he interrupt them so their plans could go on as scheduled?

He made his choice, based mostly on the doubt he felt coming from Starscream, and stepped forward, clearing his throat as he did so. Megatron's head snapped to the side to glare at the intruder. There was an almost possessive glint in his optics. Soundwave allowed a smile to briefly rest on his lip components before he got down to business. Starscream's head poked out from around Megatron, and the flier was anything but pleased. He hated the idea of Soundwave finding him in such a compromising position.

"Lord Megatron: Troops ready to depart. Decepticons: Must leave now to remain on schedule," Soundwave said as professionally as he could manage.

"Alright, we'll leave immediately. You're dismissed." Megatron waited until Soundwave scampered from the room before he returned his gaze to Starscream.

"Remember what I told you last night? I intend to discuss a few things with you after this raid, Starscream- alone." Megatron planted another quick kiss on Starscream's lips before leaning up and walking toward the exit, pulling Starscream along with the hand he still held.

When they were close to the hangar, Megatron released his Second's hand and strode ahead in true Megatron form. Starscream sulked behind him, knowing it was too good to be true. He took to brooding about his strange developing relationship with his leader. The idea almost made him laugh. He knew the gun-former was only pretending, deceiving him like a Decepticon should. Had his leader not been toying with his generally neglected emotions, he could have admired such deceit. The flier growled, earning him Megatron's attention briefly. He was surprised he had been heard. His gaze fell to the ground as he continued to sulk.

The Decepticon Commander began his usual pre-battle speech. Starscream paid him no mind, instead thinking intently on the matter at hand. Why had he let himself believe anything nonviolent could occur between himself and his leader? Was it because of the previous night when Megatron kissed him gently and said they needed to talk about _something _after the raid? Certainly, his curiosity burned away at him, but he couldn't let himself get carried away with farfetched fantasies. There was no way he was going to let the gun-former use him like all the other femmes and mechs he'd seen Megatron with.

When Starscream heard the usual "All hail Megatron" that accompanied the end of every pep talk, he stepped forward. He was more than prepared to take off with his fliers and the triple changers. Megatron gave him a reassuring pat on the back, which surprised the troops, Starscream included. The Air Commander continued forward and called to his subordinates, eager to escape the Nemesis.

"Decepticon fliers, on me!" he ordered, transforming and taking the lead position. Thundercracker and Skywarp took up their usual places on their leader's flanks, sitting a little further back than Starscream. Ramjet and his two trine mates sat behind the main trine in a similar formation. They were followed closely by the three triple changers.

"Take flight!" With Starscream's command, all the fliers took off from the hangar into the cloudy afternoon sky. Megatron stared up after them with barely hidden admiration. He never realized how much he enjoyed the sight of Starscream flying. He shook his head clear and attended to the remaining forces of his army.

"Decepticons, mobilize!" he commanded. The ground forces complied with the order, and soon the Decepticon army was on its way to the nuclear power plant. Along the way, Megatron thought back to his conversation with Soundwave that morning, something the tape-deck thought on as well not too far away.

* * *

_Leader and follower walked down one of the many halls of the Nemesis toward the Control Room, engaged in conversation as they went._

_"We'll be leaving in three hours. I want you to make sure Ravage is gone before the rest of us so we have a clear visual of the Autobots and their movements," Megatron told his Communications Officer._

_ "As you command, Lord Megatron," the tape-deck replied._

_ In a much quieter voice, the Decepticon Commander spoke to Soundwave again, "I also want you to pay special attention to Starscream. He's been acting strangely lately. Let me know what's going on it that processor of his."_

_ "As you command, Lord Megatron," Soundwave replied again. The tape-deck knew his leader already knew why Starscream had been acting strangely, but found it best to humor the gun-former instead of incurring his wrath. Having arrived at the Control Room, the two mechs ceased their discussion and entered the room as they would any other day._

_Not surprisingly, the gun-former stopped behind his Second in Command. Soundwave almost laughed at the unusual sight of Megatron taking Starscream by surprise. The Seeker jumped in his seat in fright, and Megatron had no issue with chuckling at the flier's discomfort. The Air Commander turned around but couldn't hold Soundwave's gaze for too long, which surprised both Megatron and Soundwave. The tape-deck could feel Starscream's discomfort and even got a glimpse into his mind. After Megatron finished his idle chatter with the Seeker, he and Soundwave proceeded to the Decepticon Commander's throne, where Soundwave relayed his findings to his leader at an almost inaudible volume._

_ "Starscream: Wishes his interactions with you last night were a dream. He doubts that you're capable of spending more than a single night with him romantically. He desires more than what he refers to as a "one night stand", human term for-," Megatron cut him off._

_ "Soundwave, I know what a one night stand is. Why does he think I'm incapable of some sort of relationship?" the gun-former made sure to keep his voice at a low whisper as well._

_ "Lord Megatron: Has a notorious record for bedding a partner for only a single night. Starscream: Pride won't allow him to become such a partner for you. Seeker tradition also dictates his actions, though I'm uncertain in what way as of now," there was a pause before Soundwave continued, "Starscream: Currently trying to eavesdrop. Attempt: Unsuccessful. Megatron's advances: Having adverse effect."_

_ "Adverse effect? Explain yourself, Soundwave."_

_ "Megatron: Too rough and demanding with Starscream. Seeker prefers a more subtle approach. Over assertive behavior reminds him more of the times you beat him. Suggestion: Advance more slowly."Megatron sighed in exasperation at the tape-deck's words._

_ "So Starscream is afraid? What a surprise," he groaned before softly grumbling, "I don't even know why I'm bothering."_

_ But Soundwave knew why. He found his two leaders to be incredibly silly at times. He didn't understand why they didn't just state their affection for one another and be done with it. The Decepticon army would be better off if the two leaders would work together instead of try to kill each other. Apparently, they both needed a little push, something Soundwave could easily supply._

_ "Lord Megatron: More than capable of proving to Starscream that he can handle a partner in any way he wishes." The Decepticon Commander couldn't help but smirk._

_ "Of course I'm more than capable of being gentle with that fool. I'll just have to show him." Soundwave allowed his own smirk to form, hidden behind his faceguard._

_ "You're dismissed, Soundwave." The Communications Officer obliged and left Megatron's side casually._

_ At the end of the first shift, Megatron waved Soundwave over again, demanding that he escort the troops in the Control Room out to prepare for battle- all but Starscream of course. He did so silently, though Starscream was focused intently on his work and probably wouldn't have noticed if they had all cart wheeled out._

_

* * *

  
_

Megatron snapped back into reality at the sound of Blitzwing's voice over the com link.

(Lord Megatron, we're positioned to intercept any Autobot forces.)

"Very good, Blitzwing. Notify us when you have a visual. Starscream, what's your status?" Megatron spoke over their general com link. The sound of jet engines increased in volume and soon Starscream was transforming and landing flawlessly at his leader's side.

"The Seekers are prepared to engage any Autobot fliers, my Lord. We can begin collecting the Energon." Starscream didn't bother speaking over the com link. Megatron smirked at his Air Commander and he, Starscream, and Soundwave decided to make their grand entrance. After beginning the collection of Energon, Starscream turned to leave Soundwave and his leader. Megatron caught him by the arm and spun the Seeker around to face him.

"Lord Megatron, I have to get back to the Seekers," Starscream stated as professionally as possible.

"I'm aware, Starscream, but Ravage and the triple-changers haven't spotted any Autobot activity. If something suddenly comes up, I'm sure you'll be fast enough to reach them before anything happens. After all, last night you couldn't stop going on about how you were the fastest flier in the universe." The Air Commander lost his confident expression. Did Megatron plan to punish him then and there for what he said last night? They were in the middle of a raid; he should have better sense than that, right? Starscream tried his hardest not to panic. Soundwave stood to the side, wishing to have a word with his leader regarding the raid.

"Don't worry, fool, I don't plan to discipline you here for mouthing off," Megatron leaned in close to his Second, "But perhaps I will later."

Starscream jerked his arm from the gun-former's grasp and took a step back. The seductive tone in the tyrant's voice didn't go unnoticed. What was going on with Megatron? Soundwave tried to step in to speak, but before anyone could say anything else, Blitzwing's voice sounded over the general com link.

(Lord Megatron, the Autobots are coming in fast! It looks like they brought the big guns, too! They have the Aerialbots, and some ground guys I don't even remember seeing before!)

Starscream took that as his cue to leave and did so with haste. Megatron smirked as the flier ran and jumped into the air to transform. Soundwave shook his head in concern over the fact that Megatron wasn't exactly focused on the raid. Had the gun-former not been flirting with Starscream, Soundwave would have told him that Ravage spotted the Autobots long before Blitzwing.

"Blitzwing, you and the others don't hesitate to attack the Autobots. Starscream and the others will assist you once they've made sure the Aerialbots won't combine into Superion. Then the Constructicons will make their move."

(As you command, Lord Megatron!)

Everyone on the com link cringed at the sound of the triple-changer's cheer. At least the soldiers were excited. With a sigh Megatron returned to the task at hand- gathering Energon. He took to listening to anything his soldiers said over the com link so he'd have a good idea as to what was going on. For once, he wasn't going to be on the front lines with everyone else, which bored the gun-former to no end.

Starscream met up with the Seekers before any firing even started. They were hidden in the clouds, waiting for their opportunity to strike. In a matter of minutes, the two trines were diving down and opening fire. Starscream spoke to his Seekers over the general com link.

(Remember, attack Skydive and Air Raid first. The others are of no consequence when their gestalt members are defeated.)

Megatron was pleased to hear that the action had started. Attacking Skydive and Air Raid satisfied him as well, since Skydive was the most skilled Aerialbot and Air Raid was the craziest. Removing the two of them from combat would lower moral and most likely frighten their already scared gestalt leader. All that would remain would be the cowardly Silverbot, the reckless Fireflight, and the runt of the group, Slingshot.

The two Seeker trines came zooming through the clouds, catching the Aerialbots off guard. Targets were locked and fliers were engaged in a heated air battle. Down on the ground, Blitzwing sat in the path of the Autobots in tank mode while Octane and Astrotrain shot from behind him in their bipedal modes. The ground mechs immediately retaliated, but when Skydive fell from the sky with Starscream shooting after him, they realized they were walking into something. Soon after, Air Raid came spiraling out of the sky, landing on a distracted Bumblebee. Skywarp cackled in the air at the sight, yelling something about two birds and a stone to the Autobots as he zoomed by. Optimus frowned and directed his team's fire to the sky. Starscream zipped past him, breaking the sound barrier effortlessly and almost knocking Optimus off his feet. The other Autobots took to shooting at the Seekers. Optimus Prime yelled something the Decepticon fliers couldn't understand, but soon enough they realized what he had done.

Skyfire tore through the atmosphere, his sights set on the Decepticon Air Commander. Skywarp and Thundercracker caught sight of the shuttle-former and switched targets. Unfortunately, the Autobot was too fast for them. He shot past them, ignoring them completely.

"What a rude Autobot," Skywarp sneered.

"Warp, we have to warn Screamer!" Thundercracker shouted before switching to the general com link.

(Starscream, you've got Skyfire at your six!)

Starscream turned sharply to engage the traitor, Energon running hot in his systems. They exchanged fire as they tore through the sky, engaging in games of chicken and chase. A few times, when they passed one another before turning back to make another strafing run, Skyfire tried- and failed- to talk to his old friend. Clearly, Starscream didn't forgive him for switching sides.

Megatron frowned from his spot next to Soundwave. Starscream was in combat up there, and he couldn't even see what was going on from where he stood. The cloud cover had been great for the Seekers' initial attack, but it made watching the aerial battle impossible.

"Starscream: Capable of defeating Skyfire. Worries: Unnecessary." Soundwave didn't look up from his work as he spoke.

"You become more confident with each passing day, Soundwave," Megatron growled, though he made no move to strike the tape-deck. Of course, Soundwave never would have spoken up if there was a risk of negative physical response.

Starscream and Skyfire continued to battle in the sky while the other Seekers finished with the remaining Aerialbots and aided the triple-changers in fighting off the Autobot ground forces. However, as suspected, the Autobot forces managed to break through eventually, slightly wounding a few of the Decepticons. The Seekers, save Starscream, and the triple-changers pulled back, regrouping around their leader and Soundwave as planned. Optimus Prime finally got to confront Megatron.

"Megatron! Come out here and face me!" the truck-former yelled. The mech in question stormed out from the plant to face his nemesis. They ran at each other, clashing in yet another one on one battle that no one in their right mind would interrupt. Soundwave continued his collection of Energon, protected by his Cassetticons.

As Megatron and Optimus Prime continued to battle, surrounded by their combating forces, Starscream and Skyfire circled one another above them. Hoping to get lucky, Sunstreaker fired up into the sky at the Decepticon he most despised. His shot hit the distracted flier, knocking him out of the sky. Starscream cursed in Cybertronian at the lucky shot some fool managed to fire. His left thruster was down for the count, and he attempted to land as painlessly as possible. He ended up tumbling across the ground in his bipedal mode, trying his hardest not to damage anything delicate. He came sliding to a halt not far from his leader. Slowly, he pulled himself to his knees as he regained his bearings. Who shot him?

Sunstreaker came bounding up toward the Seeker, eager to finish the job. He found Starscream slowly rising, shaking the dirt from his body. Their optics locked, and it was obvious that the Decepticon Air Commander had figured out who shot him out of the sky.

"Oh, sorry Starscream. Did I bruise your aft _and _your ego?" Sunstreaker laughed.

"You! How dare you interfere with my fight? I'm going to crush you, Autobot!" Starscream fired three quick shots from his Null Rays, two of which hit the cocky Autobot. Sunstreaker fell backwards, immobilized momentarily. Starscream approached the fallen mech with a smirk on his face.

"A lucky shot doesn't make you a worthy opponent, fool. Unfortunately for you, your luck has run out!" Sunstreaker found himself staring down the barrel of a Null Ray for the second time in only a couple weeks. Then suddenly, Starscream was gone. The Lamborghini-former looked over as well as he could and saw Skyfire rolling away with the Seeker in his grasp. Since he couldn't move, Sunstreaker simply laid there, waiting for the effect of the Null Rays to wear off.

Nearby, Thundercracker and Skywarp faced off against Prowl and Jazz. Ratchet stayed behind with the wounded mechs from the Decepticons' initial assault, which included Hound, Bumblebee, Bluestreak, and Blurr. Ironhide and Blitzwing traded fire, Blitzwing cackling like a madman as he did so. Octane and Astrotrain fought Sideswipe, who was quickly being overpowered since his brother decided to leave to attack Starscream. Optimus Prime noticed that Megatron looked off into the distance every so often as they grappled. Something was up, but he didn't know what.

When Skyfire and Starscream came to a halt, the shuttle-former jumped up, a frown polluting his usually neutral features.

"Starscream, have you come to your senses yet?" the larger flier asked.

"My senses? Skyfire, I've been thinking clearly for ages. You're the one who is confused. You're the one who betrayed our friendship!" Starscream cried, lunging at the Autobot. Skyfire blocked the attack with ease.

"The Decepticons don't care about the life on this planet! All they want to do is destroy! They're wrong and you know it!" Skyfire went on the offensive, but Starscream was too fast for him to hit.

"The Decepticons have no interest in the humans _or _this stupid planet! We want to get back to Cybertron and make it _better_, make it _inhabitable_!" Starscream argued. They exchanged a number of blows before either spoke again.

"Megatron is using you, and you know it. You've known it for years! You're only following him because of some sick infatuation you have for that tyrant!" Starscream wasn't accustomed to his fellow scientist raising his voice so carelessly.

"You're just mad because I rejected you!" Starscream lashed out angrily, elbowing his opponent in the face, sending him reeling. Skyfire recovered quicker than the Air Commander expected and tackled him back to the ground. He sat atop Starscream, baring his teeth in a rare display of uncensored rage.

"Megatron is a fool, a tyrant! Why would you pick him? It makes no sense! You've become so illogical, Starscream!" The Seeker raised an arm, hoping to shoot Skyfire off him. Instead, the shuttle-former tore the Null Ray from his captive's arm and jumped to his feet.

"If I shoot Megatron with your weapon while his back is turned, he'll think you're as traitorous as everyone says you are. Then he'll never have you the way you want him to," Skyfire whispered dangerously.

"Go ahead, Skyfire! He already thinks I'm a traitor! You won't be changing anything!" Starscream shouted. The two fliers' shouts had already earned them strange looks every so often, but no one could pay them too much mind while in the middle of combat. Megatron listened to every word, though.

"Hmm, so you've changed some of the settings on our weapon, have you? I see it's for the best though. Maybe it'll damage Megatron to the point where he'll banish you from the Decepticons."

"Skyfire, you idiot! He won't banish me, he'll just beat me!"

"Maybe that's what it takes to make you see reason." With that, he aimed the stolen Null Ray at the distracted Decepticon Commander's back.

"Megatron, look out!" Starscream shouted as he ran forward, unsure of what he planned to do. However, if he had to choose between spiting Megatron or Skyfire at the moment, he quickly decided he preferred Skyfire. The gun-former turned at the sound of his name coming from Starscream. He watched in shock as Skyfire aimed a clearly stolen Null Ray at him. However, what shocked him wasn't the sight of the weapon being pointed at him, it was Starscream running to take the shot for him. When had the flier become so courageous? Skyfire fired the Null Ray, only to find himself regretting it as Starscream jumped in the way.

"Starscream, you idiot!" Megatron shouted. The Seeker tumbled back and the Decepticon Commander caught him without a second thought. Optimus Prime stood nearby, motionless. He watched as Megatron placed the wounded Air Commander on the ground carefully. Then, in a flash, Megatron was on his feet again, rushing Skyfire.

"Megatron!" Optimus shouted, not really knowing what else to do at the moment. Megatron pounced, landing on a stunned Skyfire. He struck the flier in the face multiples times before he started fighting back. Skyfire covered his face defensively and yelled at his attacker.

"You don't deserve him, Megatron!" The Decepticon Commander paused his attack for a moment.

"What are you going on about?" he asked. Seconds later, he was rolling away, Optimus Prime with him.

"You're fight is with me, Megatron!" the Prime shouted. Megatron smacked him away and jumped to his feet, prepared to go back to beating Skyfire's face into the ground. Not too far away, Skywarp and Thundercracker had managed to wound Prowl, and Jazz was doing all he could to fight them off. Blitzwing was severely wounded, and Ironhide ran to Sunstreaker's side, hoping to get the mech up to help the others. Starscream lay motionless on the ground, still suffering from the effects of his own weapon. Megatron had no doubt that the flier would shake it off soon enough and rejoin the fight, though.

"Back off, Prime. Your soldier tried to shoot me in the back! The coward needs to be dealt with!" Megatron fired his Fusion Cannon at the Autobot Commander, knowing it would put him out of combat for a couple minutes, which was all he needed. He returned his attention Skyfire, who was back on his feet. He leapt at the shuttle-former, noticing Starscream who slowly rose to his feet. Megatron smirked and punched Skyfire in the face harder than he originally intended to, which was baffling since he intended to strike with all his might.

The Autobot scientist didn't move from his spot on the ground, which led Megatron to believe he had knocked him out. He chuckled in amusement. Again, he took a minute to look away from the battle as if expecting something. He growled angrily. In the brief moment he stopped focusing on the battle, something had happened. When he looked back to the fighting, he saw Starscream sitting atop a dazed Optimus Prime. The truck-former had tried to jump Megatron, but Starscream jumped the Prime first. The Decepticon Commander watched in amusement as his Second in Command spat harsh words at the Autobot.

"You think it's funny to just rip one of my wings off, Prime?" the Seeker screeched, still holding a grudge, "We'll see how funny it is when I just rip something of yours off!"

Starscream grabbed the closest thing that looked like it would come off. It turned out to be Optimus' windshield wipers. The Seeker was surprised he got any sort of reaction from the Autobot when the flimsy appendages came off. The Prime cried out in pain, which earned him a maniacal chuckle from his tormentor. Seconds later, Starscream was on his back with Optimus atop him. The tables had turned.

"You know what you are, Starscream? A coward and a sad excuse for a warrior!" the truck-former shouted angrily. He punched Starscream in the face once before the Seeker retaliated. Starscream punched the Autobot back, ruining Optimus' balance. The Air Commander rolled over, sending the Prime off him. He tried to kick him in the face, but Optimus caught his foot and crushed it as best his could with his hands. Starscream cried out in pain and fell backward when the Prime released him. Then the truck-former was out of sight. Megatron had fired his Fusion Cannon and hit the Autobot dead on. Starscream's jaw dropped, and he looked over at his leader, who was rushing to his side.

"Starscream, are you-"

"I'm fine, I'm fine," the Seeker hissed, not wanting any sort of pity, "Where are the Constructicons? They should be here by now!"

"I haven't heard from them. Contact them, and I'll cover you." Megatron returned his gaze to the battlefield.

"Wh-What?"

"I said contact them! Get to it!" Starscream nodded at his leader's command and opened the general com link.

"Constructicons, respond!"

(This is Hook.)

"Hook, you idiot! Where are you? You were supposed to be here already!"

(Well, we kind of got lost.)

"Lost, how did you get lost? You've got to be kidding me! I'll resend the coordinates, but if you aren't here in five minutes, so help me Primus!"

(We'll be there, we'll be there!)

After sending the coordinates, Starscream looked down at his leg. Oh, how he hated Optimus Prime. Suddenly feeling uncomfortable, he looked up to find Megatron staring at him.

"You should attend to your injury. I need you ready and able to carry Energon back to base," the gun-former stated.

"The damage is too extensive. It will take too long to fix. If the Constructicons are on time, we'll be leaving in all of ten minutes, which isn't nearly enough time to fix the circuitry of my thruster," Starscream informed. Megatron sighed and hoisted the Seeker up by the waist. Mouth agape, the flier simply stared at his leader.

"Hold on to me. I'm going to put you with Soundwave." Starscream complied tentatively and wrapped his arms around his leader's neck. No one paid the pair any mind, still caught up in their own battles. Soon enough, Megatron and Starscream approached Soundwave, who had amassed a large amount of Energon. The Decepticon Commander placed his Second down carefully.

"Stay here. I'll return shortly." With that, Megatron left to rejoin the battle. Outside, the Constructicons finally made an appearance, wasting no time to combine into Devastator. The Seekers took off to get out of the way, and even Megatron backed off a bit as Devastator wreaked havoc on their already wounded enemies. Optimus Prime scowled under his faceguard as he watched his forces get trampled. The Decepticons had been clever and lured them in with a mock retreat, then surrounded them and sent Devastator in to finish the wounded Autobots. Many were unconscious and none were without wounds. He hated to do it, but he knew it had to be done.

"Autobots, retreat!" Optimus shouted. They gathered their severely wounded or unconscious soldiers and made a hasty exit. Not that the Decepticons pursued them. They let the Autobots retreat and shifted to the next task- Energon transfer. As promised, Megatron returned to his Second's side. He was surprised to find tools scattered about the flier, who was hurriedly trying to repair his wounded leg. A pained expression was plastered on the Seeker's face as he attempted to patch himself up. After ordering the others to load up as much Energon as possible, he approached the Seeker. Megatron grabbed the Seeker's hands, forcing him to stop his repairs. Starscream snapped out of his work induced daze and eyed his leader carefully.

"There's no more time for that. Pack up your tools."

"But how will I carry Energon back with two busted thrusters?" asked Starscream, suddenly becoming worried that he would be deserted on the battlefield.

"I'll carry you back, and you'll carry some of the Energon with us." The solution seemed simple enough. The thought of having Skywarp teleport him back to base crossed the flier's mind, but he ignored it. Instead, he just nodded in approval and packed up his tools. That decided, Megatron scooped the Seeker into his arms bridal style, or something close to it since Starscream's wings made it awkward. The flier adjusted his wings back as best he could to accommodate his leader.

Astrotrain transformed into his shuttle mode and the others loaded him up with the wounded Blitzwing and some Energon. When he reached his limit, the triple-changer took off toward their base. The others stacked up as much Energon as they could and left as well. After having Soundwave stack some cubes up in Starscream's arms, Megatron took off toward the base, Soundwave and the Cassetticons close behind. It was dark when they made it back.

When they returned to their base, the Decepticons unloaded their bounty. Most became giddy at the sight of so much Energon in one place. Blitzwing and Starscream were carried to the Medical Bay to be worked on by the Constructicons, though Starscream insisted that he could fix himself. Megatron shushed him and set him down on a medical berth and left shortly after. Hook began immediate work on Blitzwing, leaving Starscream to sit around on his berth doing nothing.

Soundwave counted up their winnings as the remaining Decepticons tended to their own wounds. The tape-deck reported to his leader that they had collected 447 cubes total- the most they'd ever collected in one run. After ordering Soundwave to transfer 347 cubes to Shockwave, Megatron repaired himself. Eventually, all the Decepticons, except Blitzwing, the Constructicons, and Starscream, gathered in the Mess Hall for the post-battle speech Megatron was certain to give. Skywarp whispered to Thundercracker, betting there would some sort of party to celebrate their victory. Sure enough, the gun-former began to speak once his troops settled down.

"Decepticons, today our victory was overwhelming! The Autobots barely managed to scratch us! We collected 447 cubes of Energon total, but Shockwave only received 347. I'm certain you can all guess where this is going," said Megatron pleasantly.

"Party! Yes!" Skywarp shouted, throwing a fist in the air in triumph. Megatron smirked, but left the room to let the others prepare. He walked down to the Medical Bay to check up on Starscream and Blitzwing. He strolled through the doors carelessly, setting his sights on Hook. Starscream still sat on the berth Megatron placed him on, but he was sitting up, tinkering with his remaining Null Ray, his wings twitching every so often behind him. The gun-former couldn't blame his Second for trying to find something to kill time. After all, he had to wait until the Constructicons fixed up Blitzwing.

"Hook, how long will these repairs take?" Megatron asked. The mech in question looked up from his work.

"Blitzwing here'll take about another hour to fix up, and Starscream is going to be another hour at the most. So two hours maximum, my Lord," answered Hook.

"Be quick about it. There is a celebration going on in the mess hall tonight, and I'm certain at least Blitzwing wouldn't want to miss it," Megatron stated. Hook nodded and returned to his work, picking up the pace as much as he could without issue. The gun-former walked over to his Second casually.

"Starscream," he started, keeping his voice low, "I thought I told you it is unwise to disarm yourself like that."

Memories of the first time Megatron said that flashed through Starscream's mind briefly. He shook his head clear and said the first thing that came to mind.

"Well, I would have another weapon if Skyfire hadn't stolen it and tried to shoot you with it," he grumbled. Megatron chuckled at the Seeker.

"Next time, you shouldn't let him so close to you." The gun-former's statement almost came out as a growl. Starscream eyed him carefully.

"I don't plan on it."

"Well, as soon as you're fixed up, come down to the Mess Hall. I'm sure your trine mates will need you to carry them back to their quarters after they over energize tonight," Megatron laughed. Starscream sniggered awkwardly before returning to his work. The Decepticon Commander watched for a moment longer before leaving.

In the Mess Hall, the troops had pushed the tables against the wall. Soundwave took up DJ responsibilities and the Cassetticons danced carelessly around him. The High Grade had already been broken out. Megatron motioned for Soundwave to come sit with him as he sat down at an empty and secluded table. The tape-deck passed on his DJ status to Rumble and Frenzy, who were pleased to control the music. Soundwave grabbed some High Grade and sat down with his leader. He pushed the cubes Megatron's way, since he didn't drink the stuff. The gun-former didn't usually drink in front of the troops, but his mind was in a million other places and he drank from the cube more out of habit than anything. After his first few cubes, Laserbeak flew over with plenty more and perched himself on Soundwave's shoulder.

An hour later, Blitzwing walked into the room, a grin on his face. The prospect of High Grade could always make the triple-changer smile. Megatron looked over, fully expecting Starscream to walk in soon. The gun-former was well on his way to being over energized. He looked to his Communications Officer, who knew what he wanted to ask.

"Starscream: Still in the Medical Bay. He will be here within the hour." The answer only succeeded in making Megatron frown.

"Why is he in the Medical Bay?" asked Megatron, already losing his composure.

"Starscream: Wounded in combat by Autobots." The Decepticon Commander settled down a bit, but he still looked around the room as if searching for the Seeker. He grabbed another cube and drank from it greedily. Soundwave didn't know if it'd be wise to let his leader to continue drinking at such a rate, but he didn't deter the mech. Instead, he took to probing his leader's mind, no longer having to be subtle about it.

By the time Starscream entered the room, most of the others were completely out of it. Thundercracker and Skywarp rushed to his side and pulled him to a darker section of the room, knowing how much their trine leader preferred it that way. Megatron looked up and saw his Second enter the room gloriously, but before he could approach him, Skywarp and Thundercracker stole the Air Commander away. Soundwave patted his shoulder in an awkwardly reassuring manner and offered the gun-former another drink.

Starscream sat with his trine mates, listening to Skywarp's mindless, over energized chatter. Thundercracker laughed at his every word and the two clung to one another pleasantly. The Second in Command drank regular Energon and simply listened, nodding and smiling when necessary. Eventually, Skywarp decided he wanted to dance and pulled Thundercracker up with him. They walked toward the center of the room, but Thundercracker broke away from his lover and ran back clumsily to his trine leader. He approached Starscream from behind and draped his arms around the seated Seeker's shoulders.

"Hey Screamer, do you wanna dance?" he slurred.

"No, TC, go have fun," said Starscream. Thundercracker pulled his arms from around his leader but rested his hands on the sober Seeker's wings. He stroked them lovingly.

"Are you sure? Warp and I would dance with you." Thundercracker smiled drunkenly.

"I'm sure, TC. I'll be fine, really. Just go dance with Warp," Starscream assured.

"Okay," the blue Seeker pouted. He draped his arms around the Air Commander once more and placed a kiss on his cheek before leaving to rejoin Skywarp. Starscream chuckled to himself. He felt hands on his wings again and sighed.

"TC, I told you I don't want to dance," Starscream started. He turned to get a good look at his comrade. He gasped when he realized it wasn't Thundercracker behind him. Instead, Megatron stood there with a smirk plastered on his face.

"Megatron!" cried Starscream, his voice squeaking. The Decepticon Commander sat next to his Second, leaving a hand on the wing closest to him. The Seeker grew incredibly uncomfortable.

"You did wonderful today! Your plan worked, um, it worked perfectly!" The slur in the gun-former's praise warned Starscream not to look too deeply into his words.

"I _knew_ I picked the right, uh, flying mech, um, what are you? Yes, Seeker! I picked the right Seeker as my Air Commander and Second in Command!" Megatron stated proudly. He rubbed the tip of Starscream's wing for emphasis. The flier shuddered under his leader's touch, earning a smirk from said leader.

"I- I have to go," said Starscream nervously, trying to stand. He suddenly regretted always picking dark corners in the always dimly lit room to sit in during parties. Megatron pulled the Seeker back to his seat as gently as he could manage.

"Why do you want to leave?" he asked, "I just want to, um, to repay you for your successful planning. We couldn't have done it without you." He suddenly grabbed Starscream around the waist and pulled him flush against his chest. Starscream began to panic, not knowing how to handle the situation. Shooting an over energized Megatron wasn't an option at the moment, and he wouldn't want to risk the violent outcome anyway because he knew far too well what it was like to deal with an angry, over energized Megatron. He looked around for help, but everyone seemed to be under the effects of High Grade. He noticed Soundwave across the room and pleaded for help with his mind, but the tape-deck didn't even acknowledge his existence. Perhaps there was too much mental clutter in the area, that or the tape-deck didn't care. Starscream was pretty certain it was the latter. Laserbeak was flying about somewhere, but Starscream couldn't find him. Megatron had him trapped. The gun-former leaned over his captive's shoulder to whisper into an audio receptor.

"I love how sensitive your wings are," Megatron slurred as sensually as he could in his over energized haze. Starscream shuddered again. The silver mech pulled the flier into his lap. The Air Commander leaned forward, away from his captor, and grimaced.

"You've had too much High Grade, Megatron. You'll probably beat me when you remember this tomorrow," Starscream stated angrily.

"Beat you? I don't want to beat you," he cooed, pulling Starscream back to him.

"Of course you do! You always beat me for things I didn't do, you slag head!" the flier growled. Megatron seemed genuinely hurt by that statement. He nuzzled Starscream's neck and played with the tips of his wings. The Seeker turned to putty against his will. His over energized leader's touch was still expert and he mewled pathetically. Megatron smirked behind him.

"See, Starscream? I don't want to hurt you," whispered the gun-former.

"Megatron," the jet-former called. Another smirk graced the faceplate of the Decepticon Commander. He nipped his captive's neck, eliciting soft moans from him. Starscream even tilted his head to the side to give his leader better access to his neck. Soundwave watched the pair carefully from across the room, reading their minds and documenting the information for later use. Megatron's ministrations continued.

With one hand, he titled Starscream's head enough to gain access to the Seeker's lip components. At first, the flier failed to respond, but with a little persistence, he was persuaded into participating. The Decepticon Second in Command thought his logic chip would fry at any moment. Megatron, the mech of his nightmares, was all over him. He knew he'd regret his actions in the morning, but Starscream just couldn't help himself. His pent up desire for his leader was demanding to be released far too frequently as of late.

Their kiss deepened, and their glossa danced about, melting away Starscream's thoughts. All the while, Megatron stroked one of his Second's wings, earning him muffled moans from time to time. After a short while, the gun-former seemed bored with their games. He stood and pulled Starscream up against him.

"Let's take this somewhere more private," he drawled. Starscream simply nodded. He allowed himself to be led to the Decepticon Commander's quarters. Soundwave watched them go and ordered Laserbeak to follow. The Cassetticon slipped into the room behind the pair just barely. With uncharacteristic playfulness, Megatron pushed Starscream onto his berth and leapt on top of him. The flier became incredibly nervous.

"Lord Megatron, stop. The High Grade has gotten to you," the Seeker pleaded. He didn't want to be another of Megatron's many interface partners. Nor did he want to continue Megatron's sick game of manipulating his emotions.

"Oh but I do, Starscream," the gun-former smirked. The red and blue jet-former squirmed under his leader's burning gaze.

"Don't be afraid, little Seeker, I just wan-," Megatron suddenly collapsed on top of his captive, already in recharge. The High Grade really had gotten to him. Starscream struggled to free himself, but it was to no avail. Megatron landed on him just so, and one wrong move would cost him a wing. He spent some time trying to slowly push his leader off, but the dead weight of the larger mech proved to be too cumbersome for such a task. Eventually, he tired himself out and succumbed to recharge as well.


	6. Recalibrate

Today this section is for you, Brithe Avannee.

First, you asked how long this story will be, and the answer is long. I don't exactly have a chapter estimation or anything, but I do have a lot of this story typed out as an incredibly rough draft. So expect Apex to drag on. I hope that's something you look forward to instead of dread, haha. There was also your comment regarding Skyfire being out of character, and, for the sake of keeping everyone from becoming upset with me, I want you all to know that he is out of character on purpose. Of course, I can't say why, but know that it was no accident. On that note, I'll warn you that this chapter has even more out of character Skyfire, and it's worse this time around. If you happen to be a rabid Skyfire fan, I apologize for throwing him so out of whack. It's not that I don't like him, he just happens to be a very convenient plot device, and I love him all the more for that.

Text in parenthesis is someone speaking over the com link.

All text that is italicized in bulk is a flashback.

Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers and don't get anything but personal entertainment from writing this.

Enjoy.

* * *

**Chapter 5: Recalibrate**

Starscream's optic shutters snapped as far open as possible at the drastic change in his equilibrium. Quickly, his processor came to terms with the fact that he had just been flung into a wall. Apparently, Megatron was awake and hadn't enjoyed the sight his optics onlined to. The flier moaned in pain.

"What do you think you're doing, Starscream!" yelled the gun-former. When he had woken up, the first thing he noticed was Starscream beneath him. His first thoughts went back to the party, where he had started drinking High Grade. Then memory files became a bit corrupted. Had Starscream tried to take advantage of him in his over energized stupor? Did Starscream do something to him during recharge? What did that sneaky mech do? He had to know.

"It wasn't my fault, Megatron!" Starscream groveled, hoping to avoid a beating. He held his hands up in a surrendering motion.

"Why were you in my berth with me? What did you do, traitor?" Megatron roared.

"Traitor? I'm no traitor! Let me explain!" Starscream fidgeted nervously, triggered into fight or flight mode with Megatron's use of the word traitor.

"I don't want to hear your lies, you treacherous fool!" The gun-former leveled his Fusion Cannon at his Second.

"No, no! I didn't do anything! It was you- High Grade!"

"Silence, you coward! Quit trying to blame me for what you did!" Any progress  
Megatron had made with the flier was quickly evaporating, especially since absolutely nothing had happened the previous night.

"Coward? But I didn't do anything! You were over energized! You brought me to your quarters during the party…just like all the others..." Starscream frowned, fully hating the idea that he had almost become another of Megatron's play things.

"All the others? What are you going on about?" Megatron didn't quite know what his Second meant. He could only think of all the possible treacheries the flier might have committed.

"The others you take to your berth, like Crossfire!" Starscream lapsed into the past briefly, rage written all over his faceplate.

"Crossfire? Fool, what are you going on about? Why would you bring up your first cowardly act of treason when I clearly wish to shoot you already?" Megatron steadied his Fusion Cannon to emphasize his point.

"Crossfire deserved to die, but now, I no longer wish to have what he had!" Megatron didn't understand that statement.

"Starscream, you had better start making sense before I blast you!" Megatron growled. Starscream began shaking, though Megatron couldn't tell if it was out of fear or anger.

"Get out." Starscream looked at his leader with questioning optics, surprised he hadn't already been blasted all to slag.

"Get out of my base before I kill you, Starscream." Megatron spoke calmly, but the slight tremor in his cannon arm spoke volumes. The gun-former was trying his hardest not to fire. Starscream took the hint and rushed from the room and base as quickly as he could. Megatron marched to the Medical Bay in a huff, intent to have Hook run a scan on his internals.

When the results of Hook's test came up negative, Megatron left for the Control Room, completely shocked at the lack of sabotage to his internals, and Laserbeak followed silently. The Cassetticon returned to Soundwave, who was also in the Control Room again. Megatron sat in his throne moodily.

"Soundwave, where is Starscream located?" he asked angrily.

"Starscream: Not in the base," answered the Communications Officer. In response to a silent command, Laserbeak transformed into a cassette, and Soundwave began viewing the desired footage from the previous night.

* * *

Starscream tore through the sky in his F-15 mode as fast as he could. The air around him exploded into motion as he changed the airflow by going supersonic. He knew Megatron would do that to him; he knew he would be blamed. Well, it was that slagger's fault for drinking too much High Grade! After a little more time spent flying, the Seeker transformed and landed in a desolate area. He fired wildly into the air, shouting at his absent leader with unrestricted rage.

* * *

Wheeljack sat at the command console in the Ark, fiddling around with a few of Teletraan I's settings. Optimus Prime and Ratchet sat close by, discussing what to do to thwart the Decepticons' recent successes.

"I just don't get it, Optimus. There's no way a bunch of Decepticons could outsmart us! Something must have changed. We should get Wheeljack to replay some of the files from Teletraan I's recon drones so we can figure out where we've been messing up," the medic suggested.

"Great idea, Ratchet," the Prime agreed as he walked over to the scientist in question, "Wheeljack, can you make up a compilation video of our most recent battles with the Decepticons?"

"Sure thing, Optimus, it shouldn't take too long!" Wheeljack agreed pleasantly. Then suddenly, Teletraan I blared a number of warnings.

"What's going on, Optimus?" Ratchet asked from nearby. A few of the other Autobots began gathering in the Command Room.

"Teletraan I picked up some Decepticon activity. Something fast- faster than anything we've seen. How does it have a Decepticon energy signature?" Optimus wondered the last part aloud.

"Can Teletraan I give us a visual?" asked Perceptor as he stepped closer.

"Sure thing, just give me a minute," Wheeljack replied. He pressed a series of keys and the large monitor switched images. The recon drone's camera attempted to follow the motion in the sky.

"Wow, what is that?" Bumblebee wondered, pushing his way past Ironhide and Hound.

"It's a jet, but it's goin' pretty fast. That can only mean one thing," Ironhide said, pushing an over eager Bumblebee out of the way.

"It's got to be Starscream," Optimus decided.

"Well what is he doing so close to our base all by himself?" Bumblebee wondered.

"I don't know, but we need to find out," the Prime declared. When he looked back to the screen, he saw that Starscream had transformed and landed. The flier was shooting everything in sight as he shouted Cybertronian curses to the heavens.

"What in Primus' name is he doing?" Hound asked.

"I don't know, but if we can capture him while he's alone, we'll have a major player in the Decepticons' forces," the Autobot Commander prepared to leave as he spoke.

* * *

Skywarp awoke in his berth with Thundercracker, not remembering how he managed to make it to his room the previous night. The more he thought about it, the more he figured Starscream dragged them there. His trine leader usually never indulged in things like High Grade. He was much too paranoid in Skywarp's opinion. The violet jet-former decided he'd go to breakfast with Starscream to thank him. Allowing Thundercracker more time to recharge, he left the room alone. When he arrived at Starscream's quarters, he found the door unlocked. He opened it and walked inside but didn't see Starscream anywhere. Skywarp decided it would be easier to contact the Air Commander over the com link.

"Hey Screamer, where are you?"

(I'm not sure.) Starscream's air intakes sounded labored.

"What are you doing?"

(Blowing off some steam. I was flying around for a while and landed somewhere. I'll send you my coordinates.)

Skywarp waited a moment but gaped in shock when he realized where his leader had landed. What was worse, Starscream didn't seem to pay any attention to his coordinates, even as he sent them to his trine mate.

"Starscream, you need to leave now!"

The Seeker was shocked at Skywarp's use of his actual name.

(What's wrong, Skywarp?)

"Don't you realize where you are? Leave before the Autobots notice you!"

Silence was all he heard over the com link.

"Starscream? Starscream, answer me!"

Static crackled over the com link. Skywarp teleported back to his room and shook Thundercracker viciously. His bondmate's optics flickered online slowly.

"What's wrong, Warp?" he asked groggily as his vocalizer tried to catch up with his sudden awakening.

"We have a situation here."

* * *

After Soundwave reviewed the information Laserbeak provided, he stood and looked to his leader. His movement captured Megatron's attention as intended.

"What is it, Soundwave?" the gun-former asked.

"Lord Megatron, I have something you might want to see," replied the tape-deck. The Decepticon Commander rose from his throne, closed and locked the doors to the Control Room, and approached the Communications Officer. Soundwave knew Megatron kicked Starscream out of the base earlier, but it was a mistake.

"Go on," the gun-former ordered.

"Laserbeak: Deploy. Mission: Show recording of last night's events," the monotone voiced Cybertronian commanded. Laserbeak did as ordered and one of the monitors of the vast screen array lit up. Megatron watched carefully.

As the footage progressed, Megatron felt his spark dance about painfully in his chest. Was he experiencing what others referred to as guilt? Perhaps regret? He tried removing the thoughts from his processor, but as the events from the previous night played out before his optics, he couldn't keep himself from wishing he could travel back in time to reverse his error. It was an unusual feeling for the gun-former, one that unsettled him far more than he would ever admit.

* * *

Thundercracker spent the better part of ten minutes convincing his bondmate not to warp to the coordinates their trine leader sent him. If Starscream had been captured, teleporting there would only succeed in getting them captured as well. They needed to tell Megatron, though they both had a sneaking suspicion that the Decepticon Commander had something to do with Starscream's random outing.

With a flash, the two were in the center of the Control Room, looking around for their leader. They found him watching one of the monitors with Soundwave sitting at his side. The screen faded to black before either could figure out what Megatron had been watching, but his uncensored body language told them he was feeling quite defeated and angry. Megatron wheeled around and stared at the Seeker pair carefully.

"What is it?" he asked impatiently. He had a lot on his mind- he needed to find a way to bring Starscream back to the base without compromising his pride.

"It's Starscream, Lord Megatron. Tell him what happened, Skywarp," said Thundercracker.

Skywarp stepped forward, "I went to Starscream's room so we could get some Energon, but he wasn't there, so I contacted him over the com link. He said he was just blowing off some steam and wasn't too sure where he was. Then he sent me his coordinates, and I told him to get out of there as fast as he could, but there was nothing but static. They took him!"

"Explain yourself, Skywarp. Where was he, and who took him?" demanded Megatron.

"The Autobots!" Skywarp waved his arms frantically, "He landed not too far from their base and was probably shooting everything in sight so he'd tire himself out and calm down, but I bet those stupid Autobots noticed the shots and came running. They probably saw him all by himself without much energy left and jumped him! Autoscum!"

"So you're telling me he got himself captured?" Megatron felt another wave a guilt wash over him but quickly squashed it. If the Autobots captured Starscream, it could only be blamed on the Air Commander.

"No! Something really bad must have happened to make him pay such little attention to his surroundings! He didn't even tell us where he's going, and he _always _reports in if he's going flying. It doesn't make any sense. He shouldn't have been out there! He should have told us what was going on! I could have-" Skywarp was clearly upset, but tried to reign in the blatant worry he held for his trine leader. Thundercracker rested a hand on the back of one of his bondmate's wings, tracing comforting circles along it. Megatron was quite surprised at Skywarp's concern.

The silence that suddenly overcame the two Seekers led Megatron to believe they were having a private conversation with use of their bond. They obviously wished to save their trine leader. Megatron himself desired the Air Commander's return as well, but he couldn't tell anyone such a thing. He suspected Soundwave already knew, but the tape-deck wouldn't speak a word of it to anyone if he valued his life. He sighed when he caught sight of the lost looks on the faceplates of Skywarp and Thundercracker. They needed a plan.

* * *

Starscream's optics onlined slowly. He looked around and quickly realized he sat in a cell, chained up by stasis cuffs. Clearly the Autobots had captured him. He growled angrily.

"I see you're finally awake," Sunstreaker called. Starscream narrowed his optic shutters at the sound of that annoying Autobot's voice. The door to his cell slid open and the Lamborghini-former stepped inside.

"What do you want, Autobot?" hissed Starscream, which only succeeded in making Sunstreaker laugh.

"You aren't in any position to be speaking to me like that, Starscream," Sunstreaker said sternly.

"What are you going to do, rough me up?" the flier teased. It was against the Autobots' code to become physically violent with prisoners- a fact of which Starscream took full advantage. Sunstreaker stepped closer.

"What Prime doesn't know won't hurt him," the yellow mech laughed. Starscream refused to be intimidated.

"Do your worst, fool," he challenged. Sunstreaker struck him fiercely in the face. The Air Commander's head snapped to the side, but he quickly righted himself and laughed.

"Is_ that_ your worst?" laughed Starscream, his screechy pitch annoying his aggressor.

"Not even close!" the Autobot growled, "You're going to pay for mocking me in battle!"

Starscream laughed loudly before being struck again. He took a moment longer to respond after the second hit.

"Optimus Prime is going to be very upset with you. You're acting like a Decepticon, torturing your prisoner like this," teased Starscream. Energon leaked from the two tears he gained in his bottom lip component. Sunstreaker tensed at the prisoner's comment. He was nothing like the Decepticons. Starscream noted the Lamborghini-former's pause.

"Yes, I recall torturing prisoners. It's fun, isn't it? You're in full control. If you don't like what they say, you can hit them until they shut up. Isn't that right?" the flier cackled. Sunstreaker struck him again.

"Yes, just like that! Very good. You'd make a good Decepticon!" the Seeker taunted. Sunstreaker paused again. He looked at Starscream's Energon-smeared face and took a step back. He was no Decepticon. Without another word, he exited the cell. Starscream chuckled as he left. The Air Commander loved playing mind games with stupid Autobots, especially those who participated in jet judo. Not long after, Optimus Prime stepped into the cell. The Seeker smirked.

"To what do I owe the honor of your presence, Prime?" the flier teased. Optimus ignored the jeer but took note of the new injuries on the prisoner's face.

"What were you doing so close to our base, Starscream?" asked the Autobot leader.

"What did it look like I was doing?"

"Did Megatron send you? What was your mission?" Optimus leaned close to intimidate his prisoner.

"Ha, you could say that Megatron sent me." Starscream still felt incredible bitterness toward his leader.

"What do you mean by that?"

"I wouldn't worry about it too much if I were you." The Seeker's expression darkened substantially.

"Starscream, I'm in no mood for your games. What was your mission?"

"If you must know, my so-called mission was to get out of Megatron's base. That's it," the flier growled.

"What?"

"Do I have to spell it out for you, Prime? I was kicked out of the base!"

"I see." Optimus turned and left the cell without another word.

* * *

The entire Decepticon army stood in the Control Room. Megatron sat in his throne, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration. Soundwave noted the human habit his leader had developed. A couple of the Coneheads argued with Starscream's trine mates over the likelihood that they would rescue the Seeker leader while Blitzwing and Astrotrain made lewd jokes about the missing flier. The Constructicons talked about how many times they repaired the ungrateful Air Commander. Others made jokes and comments regarding the Second in Command's arrogant and treacherous nature. The general consensus seemed to be that Starscream wasn't worth rescuing. Skywarp and Thundercracker were the only ones among the arguing crowd showing a genuine interest in saving the captured mech, though Thrust lamented the loss of his crush. Skywarp yelled forcefully at the others.

"We have to go get him! Leaving him there with the Autobots isn't an option!"

"He isn't that important, Skywarp. He could easily be replaced by someone like me! Besides, the Autobots won't hurt him. It's against their code of honor!" Ramjet yelled back.

"You could _never _replace him, you idiot! And don't underestimate the cruelty of some of the Autobots!" argued Skywarp.

"What are you trying to say, Skywarp? You think I'm not as good as little Screamer?" Ramjet growled as he took a threatening step toward the violet Seeker. Thundercracker set his icy glare on the mech that dared to speak to his bondmate in such a manner.

"Of course you're not, Ramjet, you're a moron!" Skywarp accused.

"The only thing he can do better than me is run away! You're just mad because your trine leader was stupid enough to get captured! I bet that hurts, knowing an idiot managed to claim you, and even Thundercracker over there, as subordinate trine mates!"

Skywarp growled lowly at Ramjet, "Don't you dare talk about Thundercracker or Starscream like that in front of me ever again!"

"Get over it, Skywarp! Starscream has always been an overconfident idiot! This is just a sign from Primus that we need a new Air Commander and Second in Command!" By then, the others in the room had fallen silent to listen to the two Seekers argue.

"I can't believe I'm saying this," Skywarp mumbled before shouting back, "Screamer was, no is, overconfident for a reason! If you'll recall, he whipped your sorry aft in combat for head trine rights! You're supposed to be loyal to him, look out for him!"

"Yeah, like all the times he looked out for me? I don't think so! I say we leave him to his fate with the Autobots! Who's with me?" Ramjet rallied. The triple-changers instantly raised their hands. Ramjet glared at Dirge, who reluctantly raised his hand. Then he looked to Thrust, who pouted.

"That's such a waste of a pretty mech, though!" Thrust whined, though he raised his hand as well. Every Constructicon except Hook raised his hand.

Everyone in the room except Megatron, Soundwave, Thundercracker, Skywarp, and Hook stood with a hand held in the air. Thundercracker wasn't too surprised. Almost everyone hated the Air Commander. Perhaps it was time to remind them all why the red and blue Seeker was so arrogant in the first place. Thundercracker stepped in front of his bondmate, a sign that he planned to put the others in their place. Megatron leaned forward in his throne in interest as his army chattered away.

"Be quiet, all of you!" the blue Seeker began, continuing when everyone fell silent, "Tell me something, which of us did Lord Megatron choose as his Second in Command? Which of us did he make his Air Commander? Primus, forgive me for this Lord Megatron, but why do you think our most recent Energon raids have been so successful? I'll tell you why. It's because Starscream helped plan them all!" Thundercracker gave Megatron a wary look before he persisted his speech, "I know what you're thinking, that Starscream is an obnoxious, arrogant traitor, because I'm thinking it too, but how else do you expect a Decepticon to act? If you're bothered by it, then you're probably better of quitting the Decepticons right now and trying to become an Autobot. We need a mech like Starscream here. Not only is he strong, but he's our Second in Command! Who knows what information the Autobots will try to pull from him?" Behind him, Megatron applauded.

"Wonderful speech, Thundercracker," he praised. For once, it was hard to tell if he was being sarcastic. Blitzwing stepped forward.

"Lord Megatron, it is true? Did Starscream help you come up with all those battle strategies?" the triple-changer asked, earning him a smirk from his leader.

"Why yes Blitzwing, he did," replied the Decepticon Commander casually. Blitzwing's jaw dropped in disbelief, but he quickly regained his composure and moved to stand next to Thundercracker.

"Anyone who can plan Energon raids that well gets my vote, especially if we get to have parties because of it!" the mech declared. Thundercracker gave him a thankful nod, and Skywarp whispered to him about the party the previous night. Thrust regained his confidence with Blitzwing's praise of Starscream. He stood next to the purple triple-changer, glaring at his trine leader.

"Yeah, and Screamer certainly made walking around this ugly base a little easier," Thrust chimed in but caught himself, "No offense of course, Lord Megatron."

Ramjet glowered at Dirge who returned the stare with equal fervor. Astrotrain looked at his remaining companions. Frowning, he walked over to Thundercracker and the growing following of Starscream supporters with Octane in tow. If the Air Commander had been able to witness the events unfolding in the Decepticon base, his ego would have grown large enough to reach Cybertron itself from Earth. Ramjet growled, clenching his fists in anger.

"You can't be serious! Lord Megatron, Soundwave, you two must agree with me! Starscream is a traitor! He'll take over the first chance he gets!" shouted the enraged Conehead. Soundwave rose from his seat at his claimed console to speak, hoping to be the final voice necessary to goad Megatron into action.

"Observation: Starscream is the second strongest Decepticon. His air superiority is invaluable. Note: Starscream could have shot Megatron while he was down on numerous occasions but has failed to do so thus far. Theory: Attempted usurpation and insubordination are just a show," said Soundwave.

"Air superiority? There are plenty of us that can fly here! I don't see why being a Seeker makes him so special," Ramjet complained.

"Observation: Starscream's speed and air control are unmatched. Theory: Ramjet desires Starscream's Second in Command and Air Commander positions. Ramjet is jealous of lead Seeker," the Communications Officer stated.

"Jealous? Is your CPU faulty? Starscream is a just a whiny, cowardly traitor who was stupid enough to get captured by Autobots! He deserves whatever punishment they give him!" Ramjet yelled, flailing his arms about as he did so. Dirge stepped away from his angry comrade.

"Silence, Ramjet! Starscream will be rescued!" ordered Megatron.

"But Megatron!" Ramjet started. He instantly quieted when the barrel of Megatron's Fusion Cannon stared him down.

"No buts," growled the gun-former. Ramjet took a step back.

"Lord Megatron," the Seeker whispered and everyone else stood so quietly that it seemed as though he spoke normally, "The Autobots won't harm him anyway. It's too much trouble to try to break in and rescue him. They outnumber us, and I don't want to lose my trine mates over this, not to mention the other Decepticons. Besides, if Starscream is as great as Thundercracker makes him out to be, he should be able to escape all on his own." The Fusion Cannon remained pointed at the Conehead. Skywarp stepped around Thundercracker to speak again.

"Ramjet, you don't seem to understand that the Autobots hate him even more than you do. If _you're_ willing to just leave him there, what do you think the _Autobots_ are willing to do? Just because Prime and a few of the others are against torturing prisoners doesn't mean that some of the others won't try. Think about those twins. They absolutely hate Starscream for ruining their jet judo. Prowl probably thinks it's illogical to keep a mech like Starscream alive in their base, and Jazz will agree with him. Not to mention Skyfire." Skywarp trailed off after receiving an elbow to the side from his bondmate. Megatron lowered his weapon and stared at Skywarp.

"Skyfire? That traitorous mech? What does he have to do with anything? I understand that he used to be friends with Starscream," Megatron tapped his chin as he tried to make sense of things and failed, "Explain why you saw fit to mention Skyfire, Skywarp."

"It might be better if TC here tells you." Skywarp pleaded silently with his bondmate to explain the gentler side of the story. Megatron agreed to allow the more eloquent Seeker to speak.

"As you know, Skyfire and Starscream have a bit of history together. They were both scientists and worked together for a time on Cybertron. Not surprisingly, Skyfire developed feelings for Starscream. It was pretty one-sided, but Starscream is who he is, so he led Skyfire on a bit. They explored Earth together a long time ago, and Skyfire was lost in a terrible storm. Starscream looked for him for days on end but never found him. Then we found him much later, I'm sure you remember that, but before he switched sides, he made one last attempt to be with Starscream. After teasing him relentlessly, Starscream turned him down, and they ended up shooting at each other. When Skyfire switched to the Autobots' side, he demanded that Starscream come with him. Starscream turned him down again, declaring his undying loyalty to the Decepticons. I'm sure Skyfire still has hard feelings, and I think he still thinks he can get together with Starscream and convince him to join the Autobots. That mech has been chasing Starscream for longer than I care to recall. I'm sure having him held prisoner in the Autobots' base isn't going to result in anything pleasant. Skyfire could go so far as to use his scientific knowhow to reprogram Starscream into joining him and the Autobots, and to get any information he wants regarding the Decepticons." Thundercracker sighed after concluding his long-winded speech. He never liked to talk for such extended periods. Megatron stared at the blue Seeker, trying to hide his disbelief.

"Prime would never allow him to do such a thing," argued the Decepticon Commander.

"True, but I'm certain Skyfire can come up with a reason to take a peek at Starscream's head. I've talked to Skyfire multiple times, and he's unhealthily obsessed with our Seeker. He was willing to do anything to be with Starscream back then, like leave Cybertron to explore the universe, and I bet he's only gotten worse," Thundercracker concluded, becoming more serious. Soundwave could read all of Megatron's thoughts clearly but knew the gun-former was confused by what thoughts danced around in his mind. One thing he felt over almost all other emotions was the desire to tear Skyfire apart, limb by limb. The tape-deck smiled briefly behind his faceguard. Megatron was jealous. The gun-former attempted to raise a semblance of mental barriers, hoping to hide the erratic and unfamiliar emotions he felt, excluding his immense hatred toward Skyfire, from his Communications Officer. He spared a glance at Soundwave, but the visor and faceguard betrayed nothing. The leader sneered. Octane made himself known finally by asking a simple question.

"So, why was Starscream out there alone by the Autobot base in the first place?"

Had it been possible, Megatron would have paled a little at the triple-changer's question.

"Nobody knows. Skywarp contacted him right before the Autobots took him. We'll just have to ask him after we get him back," said Thundercracker quickly. He urged Skywarp over their bond to stop glaring at Megatron so accusingly. The gun-former noted the harsh stare before Skywarp turned away. Did Starscream tell his trine mates what happened? Hook stepped forward, breaking the silence.

"If we're going to rescue him, we need a plan."

* * *

Starscream slipped into recharge on and off in his cell- there wasn't much else for him to do. Without weapons or the ability to use his hands or feet, he couldn't break free. He tried goading Sunstreaker and Sideswipe into damaging him badly enough to appear in need of medical attention so they'd move him from his cell, but Ratchet simply came to his cell and declared that the scratches were superficial and only superfluous Energon lines had been severed. Apparently, the Autobots were smarter than they looked. Starscream sighed- at least he got to listen to Optimus Prime reprimand the Lamborghini twins.

He heard footsteps nearing his cell. Based on his previous company, he could tell it wasn't Sunstreaker, Sideswipe, Optimus Prime, or Ratchet coming to check on him. Suddenly, he dreaded seeing this particular visitor. The cell door opened and Skyfire stepped inside quickly. Starscream groaned in frustration; he knew the shuttle-former would visit him eventually.

"It's nice to see you too, Starscream." Skyfire smiled kindly. The Decepticon Second in Command didn't bother saying anything.

"I almost didn't believe it when Spike told me they captured you. You must have slipped up pretty good this time," the Autobot continued pleasantly. Still Starscream didn't speak.

"Are you still angry with me for switching sides? I begged you to join me. You could still join the Autobots, even now," stated Skyfire. He received a sneer from the prisoner.

"I would never join the Autobots. I pledged my allegiance to the Decepticons centuries ago, and I'm not changing sides just because I'm restrained by a simple pair of stasis cuffs," the Decepticon Air Commander chided. Skyfire frowned sadly.

"Starscream, I know you'd like it here with the Autobots. They'd respect your work. They'd listen to what you have to say. And most importantly, they promote science, something the Decepticons never did. I know that deep in your spark, you're just as much of a scientist as I am," the Autobot said softly.

"The Autobots are weak and foolish, and for your information, I single-handedly planned our recently successful Energon raids, not to mention the fact that I have my own lab with any parts I can hope to work with there. You offer me nothing here," growled Starscream, exaggerating just a bit.

"I know there's one thing I can give you that no Decepticon could ever think to offer you." Skyfire smirked, an expression unusual for the generally gentle giant. Starscream suddenly didn't like where things were going.

"Liar! There's nothing you could offer me that I couldn't have with the Decepticons!" he bluffed.

"Oh really? Who else has offered you their unconditional love? And Thrust doesn't count." Starscream was rendered speechless. He knew Skyfire was right, but that didn't make him any more eager to join the Autobots.

"That's what I thought," said a smiling Skyfire as he walked over to the prisoner slowly. He took the Seeker's face in his hands, rubbing away the dried Energon with his thumbs. Starscream tried to break free but couldn't manage it in his position.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you," Skyfire cooed. He leaned down to plant a soft kiss on the lips of the Seeker.

* * *

"TC, how are we going to rescue Screamer?" Skywarp asked for the millionth time as he shifted his weight from one leg to the other.

"I'm not sure, Warp. All the Autobots will be in their base, which means we'll definitely be outnumbered. Not only that, but we don't even know where exactly they're holding him, so we can't just blow the place up," answered Thundercracker.

"Yeah, and I can't just teleport in and grab him because I don't know where exactly he's at," Skywarp agreed. Soundwave approached the chatting Seekers.

"Suggestion: Send someone in to pinpoint Starscream's location and send coordinates to Skywarp to allow him to teleport and retrieve Starscream," he tried.

"Who's stealthy enough to sneak into the Autobots' base with all of them in there? None of us are capable of that, not even Ravage," argued Thundercracker. Soundwave had to agree. There was no way they could plow through all those Autobots, but they couldn't sneak in either. Blitzwing paced around the room with his hands clasped behind his back for a minute before stopping and staring at the group of mechs planning Starscream's rescue. All optics fell on him, most expecting some incredible revelation to come out.

Instead, Blitzwing said, "I wish Starscream was here. If he was, he'd know how to rescue himself."

"Blitzwing, you're a moron," Skywarp grumbled.

"What was that?" growled the triple-changer. The two arguing mechs stepped closer to one another, fists raised.

"Silence!" ordered Megatron from his throne, "I have a plan."

* * *

Skyfire tried to deepen his kiss with Starscream, but the restrained mech bit him in response. The Autobot jumped back and spat out the Energon that gathered in his mouth.

"I'm offering you a better future, Starscream. You're going to accept it, one way or another," he stated sternly.

"Not likely." Starscream smirked.

"Do you really think the Decepticons will come to save you? You know they don't care about you at all, but I do. Can't you see that I still love you? I could take care of you! We could create things together, just like we used to! We could be together again. We could be happy," pleaded Skyfire.

"I could never be happy being an Autobot and having a foolish leader like Optimus Prime, and I don't need you to take care of me!" the Seeker lashed out. He suddenly became violent, trying to free himself from his restraints. The stasis cuffs deprived him of his strength, and he slumped down again.

"Don't tire yourself out. Eventually, you'll get used to the idea." Skyfire smiled again.

"Never!" Starscream wailed. Skyfire approached him again, rubbing his face softly.

"I'll be back in a bit. I just have to tell Prime what you told me. When he finds out you're the one who's been planning the Decepticons' most recent Energon raids, he'll forget about negotiating with the Decepticons for your return. Instead, he'll keep their greatest asset locked up here until the war is over." The shuttle-former took a step back.

"You idiot! I'm only one mech! You won't suddenly win the war because I'm out of the picture!" Starscream shouted in an attempt to hide the unease he felt toward the idea of being locked up until the war's end. Surely he would go crazy if not allowed to soar through the sky. Not only that, but he wouldn't be able to see Megatron again. He shook such a silly notion from his thoughts. Megatron was the reason he was captured in the first place, and there was no chance he would be rescued by the silver tyrant. When he regained his composure, Starscream realized Skyfire was no longer in the room.

"Idiot," grumbled the Air Commander. Minutes later, the cell door swung open, revealing the form of Optimus Prime.

"What do you want?" Starscream hissed.

"Skyfire tells me that you admitted to being the one responsible for planning Decepticon Energon raids as of late. Is that true?" The Autobot Commander stared at the prisoner neutrally as he spoke. Starscream considered lying, but then Skyfire could just replay his memory files for his commander to see.

"Yes, he's right. I have been planning our Energon raids lately. What's it to you?" The Seeker tried to seem indifferent, but he was secretly freaking out. He didn't want to be trapped forever in a crumby Autobot base.

"Do you even care what you've been doing to this planet?" Optimus asked, emotion leaking though without his permission.

"The humans are worse than we are. Why don't you go yell at them for a while?"

"I don't have time for your games, Starscream." Optimus glared at the mouthy flier.

"Then you're better off leaving, because I don't have time for your high and mighty attitude." An alarm suddenly blared loudly, preventing the Prime from replying. Instead, he ran from the room to combat whatever the threat turned out to be. Sunstreaker stepped in shortly afterward with a smirk on his face.

"Looks like I'll be watching you while the others are gone," he laughed, "but Skyfire is still here too. I'm sure he'll come back down shortly to speak with you more openly since Prime is gone."

Starscream growled and lurched forward, as if to attack Sunstreaker. The Autobot simply laughed. Skyfire rushed into the room only a few moments later.

"This has to be done quickly, while the others are out. It would be easier if you just cooperated with me. Don't try to struggle, love," said Skyfire. He had tools with him, which he set down near the Decepticon.

"What do you think you're doing?" Starscream hissed.

"I'm helping you. This way, it'll be easier for you to accept the Autobots and me as your new family," the shuttle-former stated casually, "Sunstreaker, please stand guard outside."

The Lamborghini-former hesitated before nodding and leaving. Skyfire approached the Decepticon Air Commander and opened his toolbox. Starscream eyed the instruments inside. His jaw dropped as he recognized some of the items and made a guess about Skyfire's plan.

"You're crazy!" he yelled, "You plan to reprogram me?"

"I'm just going to change you a little, so you're more willing to listen to reason," the Autobot scientist replied. Starscream struggled in his restraints again but still couldn't escape. His systems were threatening to shut down on him, which stopped the Seeker in his tracks. He wanted to save all his strength for fighting Skyfire off in any way possible.

The shuttle-former grabbed a tool and stood next to his captive. With one hand, he grabbed Starscream's chin, steadying the angry Seeker as best he could. With the other hand, he began using his tool to pick away at portions of the Air Commander's helm.

"Skyfire, please! This isn't like you! Stop this foolishness!" Starscream shouted.

"Quit begging, Starscream. It isn't very becoming. You had your chance to come over to our side willingly, but you let your pride and arrogance get in the way," Skyfire lectured sternly. He continued to pick away at Starscream's helm, even as the flier began to struggle, trying to shake his head from side to side. All that managed to achieve was more damage for the Air Commander. Starscream began to panic when Skyfire stepped away and grabbed a cable, which he connected to a small, handheld device. The shuttle-former was serious about reprogramming him.

"No Skyfire, don't!" he tried again. His captor smiled tenderly.

"This won't take long, I promise. When I'm finished, we can catch up. What do you say?" he asked pleasantly.

"No, you stay away from me! Someone, help me!" the Seeker tried to back away, but it didn't work too well in his restraints. Skyfire drew near, and held Starscream's face still with one hand again.

"I'm sorry, but no will come to help you. I'm the only one you need anyway. Just relax," the shuttle-former said evenly. The Decepticon Second in Command continued to panic. Just as Skyfire connected his device, Starscream cried out for the first mech that came to mind.

"Megatron!" he shouted pathetically. The device linked to Starscream's mind and Skyfire was suddenly overwhelmed by images of Megatron on the device's screen. The last thing he saw before disconnecting violently was his beloved in the arms of that tyrant at some sort of party.

"Starscream, how could you!" the shuttle-former shouted, his spark aching. The smaller flier had passed out. Skyfire heard a loud commotion from somewhere in the base and panicked.


	7. Breach

I've just finished final exams for the semester, so to celebrate I typed up this chapter here. I have to say again that Skyfire is pretty out of character, and in this chapter it's at an all time high. It might even seem ridiculous, but as I said before, eventually his attitude will be explained. I thank you all again for the reviews you've left me- you guys are great!

Text in parenthesis is someone speaking over the com link.

All text that is italicized in bulk is a flashback.

Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers and don't get anything but personal entertainment from writing this.

Enjoy.

* * *

**Chapter 6: Breach**

Soundwave led the Decepticons in a mock assault on a nearby oil refinery. They made sure to cause as much trouble as possible when they arrived by firing in the sky and hollering at one another about nothing in particular. Ravage pretended to guard a group of humans, most of which scattered early on during the assault, while the others pretended to gather Energon.

In a showy display of heroism, a large group of Autobots appeared. Optimus Prime looked around for Megatron but couldn't find him anywhere. He began to worry that they had walked into another trap that would result in another retreat.

"Where is Megatron hiding?" the Prime demanded.

"Megatron: Indisposed. Note: As Second in Command, I take over," Soundwave replied. His comment caused more than a few of the Autobots to falter. Wasn't Starscream the Decepticon Second in Command? Had they forgotten him so easily? To add dramatic flair to the already confusing scene, Thundercracker made himself known.

"Seekers, attack!" He transformed into his jet mode, along with the other present Seekers. Optimus Prime assumed his theory was correct. They had replaced Starscream as Second in Command and Air Commander due to his exile from the Nemesis. His mind filled in the blanks, creating a story based on the few things he pulled from Starscream and the scene playing out before him.

Megatron and Starscream probably had an argument. Starscream most likely tried to kill the gun-former in another of his power plays but was unsuccessful. Megatron probably had Starscream forcibly removed from the base while he recovered. It made perfect sense. Soundwave would assume Starscream's role as Second in Command and therefore stand in as leader during Megatron's assumed recovery time, and Thundercracker would become the new Air Commander.

The Autobot Commander dove at Soundwave. The Seekers strafed any enemy they could. Astrotrain, Octane, and the Cassetticons attacked from the ground. Skywarp and Blitzwing were nowhere in sight.

* * *

Three Decepticons appeared near the Autobots' base- Megatron, Blitzwing, and Skywarp. Megatron looked around briefly at the scorch marks and rubble that surrounded them and wondered if he stood on the spot at which his Second was captured. He quickly snapped out of it.

"We don't have much time. Blitzwing, rush in ahead of us and cause as much trouble as you can," Megatron ordered. The triple-changer transformed into his tank mode.

"I'm going to crush them!" he yelled happily and moved forward to blow the door of the base open. Skywarp and Megatron ran in a short distance behind him.

"Skywarp, remember that we're here for your wing mate, not to play with Autobots," Megatron stated. Skywarp's faceplate reflected only the seriousness of the situation. The pair ran throughout the base as quickly as they could, shooting down the few Autobots that crossed their path in the wide hallways they sprinted down. Eventually, they came upon a large, open room with another hallway that split to the right. The large room was of the earthy colors that were commonplace in the Ark, but it had a telltale label near the hallway to the right. It read "Holding Area". Skywarp stealthily crept ahead of his leader and peered down the nearby hallway. He quickly pulled his head back and looked to Megatron.

"The holding cells are in that hallway. Sunstreaker's down there guarding one, and he's the only 'bot out there. I bet Screamer's in the cell he's protecting," Skywarp whispered. Megatron nodded.

"I'm going to charge down the hallway. I want you to teleport behind Sunstreaker and take him out when I do," the gun-former ordered.

"Yes, sir," was all he heard from the Seeker as he took off in a sprint, turning the corner to the hallway quickly. Skywarp teleported. Sunstreaker heard the sound of hurried footsteps and looked down the hall toward the source of it.

"Me-Megatron!" he sputtered in shock and surprise as he shakily made a grab for his blaster. That was all he managed to say before Skywarp shot him point blank in the back with a nonlethal shot. He fell to the ground at Megatron's feet with a resounding thud, his weapon clattering to the ground nearby. Skywarp kicked the blaster away before stepping aside to let his leader inspect the door they now stood before.

Megatron opening it but found it to be locked. He heard a clattering sound mixed with scuffling feet coming from the other side. He took a few steps back and motioned for Skywarp to do the same. Someone was inside with Starscream and knew they were outside. The Decepticon Commander fired his Fusion Cannon at the door's locking mechanism, taking care not to use it at full power. The door lock melted away and Megatron kicked the door in, revealing Skyfire standing behind a restrained Starscream, holding his throat. The Air Commander's head hung limply in his captor's grasp.

"Don't come any closer!" Skyfire cried, "Starscream belongs to me now!"

"Get away from him, Skyfire!" Skywarp growled, his body tensing. He noted the instrument in the shuttle-former's hand. It looked to be a scalpel of sorts, which the Autobot held to the unconscious Seeker's throat. Megatron noticed that some of Starscream's helm had been picked away and his body was littered with scrapes and dents. When had the Autobots become so harsh with their prisoners? Skyfire had one hand resting on Starscream's left wing and the other around the Decepticon flier's neck. The gun-former slowly began charging his Fusion Cannon. Skyfire seemed a bit off.

"If I can't have him, no one can!" Skyfire pressed the blade closer to his captive's neck, nicking a few cables. Energon leaked down onto Starscream's cockpit. The sensation seemed to wake the small flier, because he slowly raised his head. He locked optics with Megatron and didn't bother trying to hide his surprise.

"I-I called and you ca-came for me," he whispered. Megatron smirked, though he didn't quite understand the full meaning of his Air Commander's words. He raised his partially charged Fusion Cannon, attempting to aim it only at the Autobot holding his Second hostage. Skyfire tightened his grip on Starscream's wing, causing the smaller mech to hiss in pain.

"Don't do anything rash," the shuttle-former laughed, looking from Megatron over to Skywarp. The violet Seeker had considered teleporting, but there wasn't much space behind Skyfire and he didn't want to risk his leader's life over a sloppy warp. He wondered if Megatron just planned to shoot through both mechs. It wouldn't be a surprising move, but Skywarp hoped the Decepticon Commander actually wished to save Starscream.

"Don't you hurt him!" the teleport ordered, hoping Megatron would heed his words as well. Skyfire glowered at him.

"Nothing I do to him will compare to the pain you Decepticons have put him through. I was going to reprogram him, but when I looked into his mind before starting the process, I found something interesting in there. I was surprised at first, but I suppose it makes sense in the most disgusting way possible. Megatron, you're a lucky mech. I tried for ages to get Starscream to grace me with a second glance. I don't know how you managed to win him over, even after I was promised that he would choose me instead."

Skywarp assumed whatever Skyfire had found in Starscream's mind tipped him over the edge into insanity. He didn't know Skyfire as well as Starscream or Thundercracker, but he never would have thought the shuttle-former would act so crazily. Megatron came to the same conclusion and couldn't help but wonder what Skyfire had seen from his Second's memory files. He took a tentative step forward- he needed to test his boundaries.

"Now, now, Megatron, I told you not to do anything rash, but here you are, aiming your weapon at me and trying to get close to my little Starscream. I'm going to have to do something rash myself to let you know how serious this situation is," Skyfire said, tilting his head to the side to get a better look at his captive's left wing. Skywarp could tell what was going to happen next, and his wings twitched anxiously as a result.

"Don't you dare!" the teleport growled.

"It will pale in comparison to the pain this unworthy mech over here has caused my beautiful Starscream," Skyfire said, clearly referring to Megatron. Skywarp took an angry step forward but was stopped by Megatron. Skyfire cackled- an eerie sound- before tearing at his captive's wing with all his might. The appendage came off after many agonizing seconds. Starscream howled in pain, looking up at his rescuers as he did so, his optics glowing intensely. Then his head dropped and he hung limply in the Autobot's grasp once more. Energon poured from the wound, painting the floor. Skyfire chuckled madly and tossed the detached wing at Starscream's trine mate, who caught it clumsily in his fright. After a silent moment passed, Starscream's head rose back up. His air intakes whirred rapidly. He looked at Megatron, a resolute expression mixed with one of pain on his faceplate.

"Do it." The Seeker's command could just barely be heard.

"What do you mean, Starscream?" Skywarp asked, panicked laced in his voice.

"Megatron, fire at Skyfire!" the injured Air Commander rasped shakily. Megatron hesitated at the fear and confidence mixed together in his Second's voice. Skywarp looked from Starscream to Megatron and back again.

"Don't say that! We're going to get you out of here alive!" the violet Seeker assured. Skyfire switched the position of his hands. The left now held the scalpel and the right rested on the smaller flier's remaining wing. Megatron ran through countless calculations quickly. Skyfire was a good amount larger than Starscream. He was leaning to the right more than he needed to. Starscream's spark chamber was centered in his chest, behind his cockpit. Megatron considered the diameter of his Fusion Cannon's blast at a powerful enough charge to pierce Starscream and hit the Autobot behind him. He corrected his aim. Then he opened the com link with Hook.

"Hook, respond!"

(Yes, Lord Megatron?)

"Prepare to receive Starscream."

(As you command, Lord Megatron.)

Megatron switched channels, to talk with the rest of his army.

"Decepticons, retreat!"

(All hail Lord Megatron!) His soldiers replied as one. Skywarp looked over at the Decepticon Commander. The gun-former was about to make a move. Skyfire stared at Megatron for a moment, a crazed look in his optics.

"You can't have him, Megatron! I'm so much better for him! I won't let you take him away from me!" the deranged shuttle-former shouted and tore at Starscream's remaining wing. The Seeker cried out again, looking up pleadingly at his leader. Megatron frowned but quickly steeled himself.

"Starscream belongs to me and me alone," he growled possessively as a bright purple beam shot across the room and tore through both Starscream and Skyfire. Skywarp stared at the scene, mortified. Skyfire's body hit the floor with a loud thump, and his scalpel clattered to the floor noisily. Skywarp stared at the scene in shock. Starscream had been forced into stasis lock, still hanging from the stasis cuffs. A clean hole had been burned through the top right portion of the flier's body. Megatron looked his Second over hastily. The shot had been perfect. He walked quickly to his soldier, stopping in front of him to grab Skyfire's scalpel. With it, he cut through the restraints and caught Starscream's body when gravity claimed it. Skywarp regained a bit of his composure and ran over to his comrades. After receiving a slight nod from Megatron, he placed a hand on the gun-former's shoulder and they disappeared in a flash.

They appeared in the Medical Bay, where the Constructicons waited. Megatron placed his Second on the closest medical berth carefully. Hook shooed him away and immediately began his work. Skywarp set the wing he had been holding onto a neighboring berth. The other Constructicons pushed the two warriors from the room entirely. Megatron didn't care to argue, and Skywarp was still in shock. Shortly after, the remaining Decepticons returned to the base. Thundercracker wasted no time and ran to his bondmate.

"What happened?" the blue flier whispered. He felt too many emotions pouring from his bondmate and couldn't decipher anything specific. Not only that, but Skywarp had been adamant about blocking his lover when Starscream was found, which could only mean the situation had gone terribly wrong.

"I don't really know." Skywarp fidgeted, trying to relax so he could relay the story with use of their bond. Thundercracker tugged him gently toward the floor and away from the others. He joined his lover on the ground and held him, stroking one of his wings in a comforting gesture, not caring that the others could simply walk down the hall and see them in such a state. After a moment, Skywarp managed to share his story. The image of Starscream looking up and asking Megatron to fire became superimposed in Thundercracker's mind. Hadn't they just lectured their unstable leader about begging for death? Thundercracker's concern toward the Air Commander quickly morphed into anger. Skywarp reasoned with him aloud, hoping his voice could sooth his bondmate.

"You saw how hopeless the situation was. I couldn't even warp to jump in and save him. It was the best course of action. If things had been done any differently, he'd probably be dead right now. At least this way, he has a chance to survive."

"That doesn't change the facts."

"It was a last resort, TC."

"Warp, he pretty much _ordered _Megatron to shoot him."

"Didn't you see the way Megatron reacted, though? Those hesitations? The tone of his voice? Just the fact that Megatron agreed to save him says a lot. He was concerned too and didn't want to take the shot, but he knew it was the only way. He even took the time to _aim_," argued Skywarp. Thundercracker pondered this for a moment before smiling at the teleport.

The other Decepticons had been congratulated on a job well done and were informed that Starscream was receiving medical attention before they were ordered to leave- except Soundwave and Starscream's trine mates. Megatron and Soundwave spoke amongst themselves.

"As I'm sure you now know from my jumbled thoughts, this mission was very taxing. Skyfire has become very unstable. He tried to reprogram Starscream. I wonder how long it will take Prime to realize he has an unbalanced mech running around in his base."

"Affirmative. Skyfire: Unstable. Cause: Images from Starscream's mind related to Lord Megatron," Soundwave responded.

"What?" the gun-former asked, finding it difficult to focus on his conversation with the Communications Officer.

"Note: Skyfire is angry with you for stealing away Starscream's attentions," the tape-deck answered. Megatron snapped back to the conversation upon hearing these words and mused over them. Skyfire had been incredibly upset with him for doing little to nothing to earn Starscream's affection. Megatron fought the urge to laugh aloud at his triumph over Skyfire, though he knew Soundwave heard it in his mind.

"Return to the Control Room and report any strange activities to me immediately," he ordered.

"As you command, Lord Megatron," the Communications Officer responded before turning to leave. Soundwave couldn't help but think that even though Starscream had been rescued by Megatron, the Seeker wouldn't be so receptive to his leader. Megatron approached his Second's trine mates.

"Skywarp, Thundercracker, return to your quarters and recharge. Starscream's wounds are extensive and will take a lot of work to fix. I'll have Hook contact you if he wakes up and you aren't present," Megatron said. The Seekers were surprised at his calm tone but appreciated it. They nodded to their leader in thanks before disappearing from the hallway in a flash. Megatron opened the door to the Medical Bay and stepped inside.

"How does he look?" the Decepticon Commander asked, trying to seem only clinically interested.

"A lot of the wounds on his body are superficial, but the hole in his chest, his missing wing, and his helm will take more time to fix. He's lost a lot of Energon as well. I can't believe the Autobots actually did something like this," Hook said, trying to quickly seal up Starscream's chest wound, "He's lucky though. Whatever hit his chest was only five and a half centimeters from his spark chamber. Whoever fired at him was either a really terrible or really accurate shot."

The Constructicon looked up at Megatron knowingly. The gun-former approached his unconscious Second and looked over his wounds. His face was contorted in pain, even in stasis lock. The other Constructicons stood around the table as well, poking and prodding different areas of the wounded flier. He left the room and walked to the Control Room to go about his duties but planned to return to the Medical Bay after his work was finished.

* * *

The Autobots returned to the Ark, thoroughly confused by the Decepticons. Their enemies hadn't even attempted to gather any Energon. When Optimus Prime saw the main door of the Ark, he realized they had been tricked by a decoy. He cursed himself mentally for falling for such a juvenile trick. He couldn't help but wonder why none of the others in the base contacted him to let him know of the Decepticons' deceit.

As soon as he stepped foot into the base, Sunstreaker ran up to him.

"Optimus! I was just about to call you over the com link! The Decepticons, they surprised us. Blew open the front door and wrecked the place before we even had a chance to think! Megatron was here! And someone else, but I'm not sure who because he shot me from behind. You have to get to Skyfire though. He's in bad shape!" Sunstreaker cried. Ratchet walked up through the rubble of the main door and spoke.

"Take me to him, quickly!" he urged. The two mechs took off down the scorched walls of their base.

"The rest of you, check the base for our comrades. If someone else is hurt, bring them to Ratchet immediately!" Optimus ordered. The others scattered about the base as ordered. The Autobot Commander stood at the front of his base for a few minutes, mulling over the day's events. What would the Decepticons want from the Ark? When the answer hit him, he cursed. Of course, they came for Starscream. He had so easily believed the Decepticons had replaced their resident traitor, had _hoped_ they had replaced him after learning that he played a large part in planning the Decepticons' strategies. Was that the only reason that they rescued him? After all,  
Starscream claimed Megatron banished him from the Nemesis. If that was the case, why did Megatron come personally to rescue his Second in Command? Was he worried the Autobots would pull some important information from Starscream? It would be a difficult task, seeing how the Autobots didn't believe in the more aggressive methods of interrogation. Optimus Prime called Wheeljack over the com link and asked him to gather a small team to fix up their wrecked base before making his way to the Medical Bay.

When he arrived, he saw Ratchet tinkering away on Skyfire, with Sunstreaker and a few other mildly injured mechs waiting for their turn. A box of tools and other equipment the truck-former had never seen before lay near Ratchet's feet.

"What's that tool box for?" Optimus wondered.

"I found it in the room with Skyfire. You might want to give that particular holding cell a look, Optimus. I don't think you're going to like what you find." Ratchet never looked up from his work but his urgent tone indicated that the Prime should check it out immediately. He left without another word, walking quickly to the Holding Area.

He returned to the cell Starscream had been held in, and saw that the door was no longer in its rightful place. That was the least of his worries though. Energon painted portions of the floor and wall- far too much to belong to a single mech. Optimus took his time looking around.

The door lock had been melted off-, clearly the work of Megatron. The wall opposite the doorway possessed a scorch mark signature of Megatron's Fusion Cannon as well. The stasis cuffs used to restrain Starscream had been cut through, not shot through. The Prime looked down and saw a scalpel of sorts and pieces of metal on the floor. He didn't know what to make of all the details. He picked up the scalpel and some of the metal before returning to Ratchet.  
The medic had made a reasonable amount of progress on Skyfire by the time the Prime returned. Optimus walked over to the medical berth and held out the scalpel.

"Do you recognize this?" he asked.

"Hey, that's mine!" the medic said, "That things been missing for days! Where'd you find it?"

"It was in the cell we were holding Starscream in. These scraps of metal were on the floor with it. What do you make of it, Ratchet?" the leader asked.

"I don't know what my tool was doing in there. I bet Perceptor could help you figure out what the other stuff is, though."

"Right, I'll go pay Perceptor a visit, then."

Sunstreaker watched his leader leave, trying his hardest to keep the guilt he felt off his faceplate.

Optimus found Perceptor in the Command Room of the Ark.

"Perceptor, I need you to take a look at something for me," Optimus requested.

"Of course, Optimus. What is it?" Perceptor asked.

"This scalpel and these pieces of metal were on the floor of Starscream's cell. I'd like for you to tell me what the metal is from, and have a look at the Energon on this scalpel. I have a feeling it doesn't belong to any of the Autobots," Optimus trailed off. Perceptor nodded and took the materials from his leader. He transformed into his microscope form and examined each of the materials carefully. His leader waited patiently nearby.

Perceptor transformed again, holding the scalpel in one hand and the metal in the other.

"This," he held up the hand with the scalpel in it, "has traces of Starscream's Energon on it. And this," he held up his other hand, "is consistent of the metal found in the helms of Cybertronians, particularly Seekers. It is also Starscream's."

Optimus' optic shutters widened slightly in shock. Why would Starscream's Energon and pieces of his helm lay scattered on the floor of what used to be his cell? Deciding his next necessary course of action, the Prime thanked Perceptor and sought out Sunstreaker. He entered the Medical Bay for a third time. Ratchet still worked on Skyfire, but he looked to be almost finished. Optimus set his optics on Sunstreaker, who squirmed slightly under his gaze. The Lamborghini-former definitely knew something.

"Sunstreaker, I need to speak with you," Optimus said sternly. The smaller mech made no argument and stood to leave the room with his leader. Once outside, Optimus turned to his soldier.

"I need you to tell me what happened while I was gone. For some reason, Starscream's Energon and pieces from his helm were on the floor of the cell we were holding him in. You were the one guarding his cell, so you must know something," the truck-former prodded.

"I didn't mean for it to get so out of hand, Optimus, I swear!" Sunstreaker began, "Skyfire said he was just going to fix Starscream, change him a little so he'd be more receptive."

"What do you mean?" Optimus interrupted.

"Okay, I was guarding Starscream's cell like you told me to, and Skyfire came down there to visit him. Then the alarms went off and everyone was leaving. Skyfire said the timing was perfect and he left to go get something, so I went in there to make sure Starscream hadn't been doing anything. Skyfire came back with a box of tools and said he was going to convince Starscream to change sides. He said he was going to change him a little, fix him and persuade him to help us. I didn't think he'd be able to convince Starscream. Then he asked me to stand guard outside, so I did because I thought, hey it's only Skyfire. Then I heard Starscream yelling for help, saying something about reprogramming, but I didn't have time to do anything because I heard footsteps in the hall and there was Megatron, sprinting toward me. That's all I remember."

"Skyfire tried to reprogram Starscream?" Optimus asked, never believing he would ever say such words about someone as docile as Skyfire.

"Yeah, that's what I heard. I'm sorry Optimus. I didn't know. Sure, I roughed Starscream up a bit, but that guy is just so arrogant! I never wanted to _reprogram_ him though! That's crazy!" Sunstreaker shouted, flailing his arms around for emphasis. The Prime could tell that the Lamborghini-former spoke the truth and knew he could be trusted.

"I know, Sunstreaker. I need to have a word with Skyfire." Optimus walked past his subordinate and through the doors of the Medical Bay again. When he entered, he saw Skyfire sitting up on the medical berth, optics fixed on him.

"Skyfire," Optimus began harshly. The shuttle-former seemed to know what was coming and jumped off the berth.

"What were you thinking?" the Prime started his lecture, but Skyfire cut him off.

"You wouldn't understand, Optimus! He took Starscream from me!" the flier shouted.

"There is _no excuse_ for what you tried to do, Skyfire! Even the Decepticons have the right to maintain their sentience!"

"I already told you, you wouldn't understand! I had to do it! I didn't have a choice!" Skyfire gripped his head and shook violently.

"Ratchet! Something is wrong with Skyfire, we need to sedate him!" Optimus ordered. The medic jumped into action, but Skyfire was too fast. He charged forward, using his greater mass to knock Optimus off his feet. He rushed out the door, transformed, and flew toward the nearest exit as fast as he could. The Autobots in the Medical Bay were left speechless as Optimus pulled himself from the ground.

"There's no way we can follow him or track him down, he's already got a head start and the Aerialbots aren't fast enough to catch him at this rate, especially if he leaves the Erath's atmosphere," Ratchet stated.

"I know. I don't know what's wrong with him, but if he causes anyone else harm, we're going to have to deal with him," the Prime said. The others nodded remorsefully. No one could even guess what had happened to the lovable scientist to which they were all accustomed. Optimus trudged out of the Medical Bay, needing to inform the others of this most recent development within the Autobot ranks.

* * *

Megatron lost track of how much time had passed. Though he had intended to be productive, he had made absolutely no progress on the work front. He sat in his throne in the Control Room, thinking of all the ways to punish of Skyfire. That and he couldn't stop thinking of what the deranged shuttle-former had said.

_ "I don't know how you managed to win him over, even after I was promised that he would choose me instead."_

What did Skyfire mean by that? Had Starscream promised himself to that crazy mech? The gun-former tried to keep his cool, since the last time he lost it resulted in Starscream being captured by the Autobots. He needed to think things through a little before rushing down to the Medical Bay and doing something he might feel guilt toward later. That feeling had been quite troublesome already, and he had no intention of experiencing it again anytime soon. It took him much longer to calm himself than he preferred, but part of him wasn't so surprised. Anger had always been so commonplace in his life, and in the arena back in his days as a gladiator, it had been what got him through each round. He sighed audibly, not too concerned with being heard since Soundwave was the only other mech in the room, and he certainly already knew what plagued the gun-former's mind.

Megatron sat in his throne for a while longer, still mulling over what Skyfire had said. The rescue scenario played out in his head a number of times, eventually piquing his curiosity as to what Skyfire had done to his Second's mind to a point where he stood and made his way down to the Medical Bay. When he made it down the few levels to his destination, he cycled air through his intakes before going any further. He had no desire to go in there hot tempered and ruin all the work the Constructicons had just done.

Finally calm, Megatron walked into the Medical Bay with a stoic look of disinterest on his faceplate. When his optics fell onto the form of his Second, he noted the incredible amount of progress they had made. No doubt Hook had kept the others in line, as he was always one to enjoy working on the beautiful Seeker. Starscream's wings were as perfect as Megatron remembered them to be, and the hole in his chest no longer existed. At the sight of their leader, all but Hook ceased their work and stared at him expectantly.

"I take it his repairs are going well?" Megatron asked neutrally. Hook finally looked up and replied.

"Yes, Lord Megatron," the crane-former stated haughtily.

"Yeah, only 'cause Hook here's being a slave driver!," Bonecrusher complained and turned to Hook, "We _all _know how _pretty_ you think Starscream is, and how eager you are to keep him looking good, but he's almost fixed and we still haven't gotten a break!" Megatron shot Bonecrusher a glare before returning his gaze to Hook.

"Everyone else can leave then, if his repairs are almost complete. Hook, I trust that you are capable of fixing the rest of the damage on your own," said the gun-former.

"Of course, Lord Megatron. He will be good as new in short order." Hook waved the other Constructicons off, most of who left quite eagerly in search of Energon and recharge time. The crane-former continued his work, fixing the lesser wounds that plagued the Seeker's form. As he worked, Megatron watched, waiting for a break when Hook would change tools.

"Is it possible for you to see what Skyfire did to Starscream's mind?" he asked when Hook finally stopped to change equipment.

"I'm not certain. Connecting to someone else's CPU is dangerous business, though. This is more in Soundwave's area of expertise. Would you like me to go speak with him on it?" Hook asked, noticing the way Megatron eyed his Air Commander.

"Yes, have a word with him about it. He's in the Control Room. But make it quick, you don't get to recharge until you've finished here."

"Yes Lord Megatron, I'll make it quick."

The Constructicon left hastily to seek out Soundwave. Megatron took the opportunity to walk over to his Second's body. Only superficial scrapes and dents remained on Starscream's chassis. The expression of pain on Starscream's faceplate had lessened, though he still seemed tense.

Without realizing it at first, one of Megatron's hands drifted to rest on a white wing. He mentally shrugged and lightly slid his hand across the white expanse of metal. Lazily, he traced the Decepticon insignia branded and painted on the wing. His thoughts drifted back to Starscream's earliest days as a Decepticon, but before he got too far, the sound of the Medical Bay doors sliding open snapped him out of his reverie. Instantly, he pulled his hand away and took a step away from the medical berth. Hook said nothing, though he noticed his leader's actions. He rather liked living and would never call Megatron out on his strange behavior.

"Well?" asked the Decepticon Commander impatiently.

"Soundwave said that there is an 87.9% chance that Starscream's mind wasn't altered, and that's without actually coming down here and feeling out his mind for himself.

"Excellent," Megatron said as he gave a sweeping gesture which indicated that Hook should continue his work. The perfectionist Constructicon made quick, and perfect, work of the flier's remaining injuries and cleaned him up nicely as well. Once he felt completely satisfied with his work, Hook looked to his leader.

"He is good as new, if not better. Now all he needs is recharge and Energon."

"Good. Contact Skywarp and Thundercracker and have them report down here immediately with some Energon for their Air Commander," Megatron ordered.

"Do you intend to wake him now?" Hook asked.

"Yes, there's no sense in waiting to see what Skyfire may have done to his head."

"Of course, I will contact Skywarp and Thundercracker right away."

Hook called for the other Seekers over the com link, demanding that they make an appearance with some Energon as soon as possible. As soon as possible turned out to be less than a minute later. The two appeared in the room in a flash, Thundercracker carrying a few Energon cubes with him, as Megatron placed a large black hand on Starscream's shoulder and shook non too gently while saying the flier's name forcefully a few times. The Air Commander's optics snapped online and he looked around in confusion. His gaze finally settled on his leader.

"Me-Megatron?" he whispered as his optics finished coming into focus.

"Yes Starscream?" he replied. Thundercracker and Skywarp took a few steps closer to the berth.

"What happened?" Starscream asked, trying to sit up and look around. Megatron raised a hand to push the Seeker back onto the berth, but Starscream misunderstood his intent. He brought his arms up to block his face.

"Lord Megatron! Please don't hurt me!" the flier begged. Megatron pushed him back down on the berth before speaking.

"Calm down fool, I'm not going to hurt you," he gritted. The Seeker dropped his arms back to his sides and took a moment to calm himself. He realized he lay in the Medical Bay and tried to remember why. Slowly, he recalled the events that had transpired. He shot up to a sitting position, slamming a fist on the berth, when his thoughts came to Skyfire. He growled menacingly and tried to stand, briefly forgetting he was in the company of others. Megatron gripped the Seeker's shoulder and applied pressure, forcing Starscream to remain seated on the berth. The flier looked up at his leader, confusion evident on his faceplate.

"You've just recently been repaired, Starscream. Lay back down. I don't want to have to force you," Megatron stated. The gun-former's words brought all the aches and pains of his body to Starscream's attention. The Seeker moaned and lay back down, trying to diffuse his own anger. The recently repaired flier ran a systems check to make sure the repairs were sufficient and that Skyfire hadn't managed to permanently damage anything, including his CPU. Everything checked out, and he couldn't help but sigh in relief. Briefly, he wondered if Megatron killed Skyfire. He doubted it. The sound of footsteps caught his attention, and soon Thundercracker and Skywarp came into view.

"How are you feeling, Screamer?" Thundercracker asked.

"Don't call me that," the Air Commander grumbled, in a foul mood. Hook skirted out of the room stealthily to grab some recharge time.

"Skyfire didn't do anything to you, did he?" Thundercracker continued, ignoring his leader's grumpiness.

"He certainly tried," Starscream hissed, "But he failed."

"That's good to hear!" Skywarp said cheerfully. Megatron remained silent, though he mentally sighed in relief at his Second's reassuring words.

"What did those Autobots do to you?" Thundercracker asked.

"Roughed me up some and tried to reprogram me. Skyfire didn't make any progress, though. My CPU is in perfect condition." Starscream sat up slowly. Megatron eyed him carefully but didn't move to stop him. The Air Commander took to looking over himself and the repairs Hook and the other Constructicons had made. Thundercracker handed him an Energon cube, which he took and drank from greedily. He downed a few more before he began adjusting his wings in various positions to make sure the repairs were sufficient and to work the kinks out. Megatron briefly became hypnotized by the motions.

The Air Commander could tell his trine mates wished to help rub away the soreness but didn't dare to do it in front of Megatron. 'Oh slag, Megatron!' the Seeker thought to himself. He suddenly remembered exactly why he had been alone in the middle of nowhere before the Autobots captured him. His wing adjustments ceased suddenly as he tensed.

"What's wrong?" Skywarp asked, taking a step closer to the Air Commander. Starscream looked up at Megatron, locking optics with him. Was he still angry? Was he only holding back because of his Second's recent repairs? The Seeker decided to play it off as nothing.

"Nothing, I'm just a little sore still. That's twice in the last month I've lost that wing," Starscream grimaced. After an awkward silence, Starscream slid off the berth to stand and stretch. He looked to his trine mates and noticed the look in their optics. They desperately wished to ask why he had been all alone near the Autobots' base. It also became obvious that they believed it related to Megatron, since they failed to ask the question aloud. The death glare Skywarp occasionally shot the not-all-there Megatron was also an indication of that fact.

"I'll be in my quarters if you need me," was all he said as he made his way to the exit, desperately wishing to avoid such a conversation with his trine mates at such a time.

"Want me to warp you there?" Skywarp offered.

"No, it'll be good to walk the kinks off," the Seeker answered with turning around, knowing his trine mates would understand from his words and body language that he had no desire to talk about what happened. Thundercracker and Skywarp shared a look before Skywarp grabbed his partner and they disappeared.

* * *

Starscream arrived at his quarters and almost collapsed once inside. His entire body ached, and he didn't even bother locking the door once inside. Instead, he trudged over to his berth and plopped down on his back. The Seeker offlined his optics and tried to fall into recharge. He failed to notice his door open and close for a second time as someone entered the room. The trespasser approached his berth, casting a shadow over him and giving him the feeling that he was being watched. He onlined his optics and looked over at him. Starscream gasped and sat up, backing up on his berth until his back hit the wall his berth sat up against.

"Megatron! I'm sorry, I didn't mean any harm the other night, I swear!" he pleaded, instantly assuming his leader had come to punish him. The Decepticon Commander simply stared at his Second. Starscream watched the hands of his leader carefully, waiting for one to reach out and grip his throat. Second after second passed, but still Megatron said and did nothing.

Eventually, he moved. Starscream held up his arms defensively at the motion but nothing happened to him. He felt the berth shift under the pressure of added weight. The Seeker lowered his arms and found Megatron sitting with him. The situation seemed diffused enough, so Starscream spoke.

"I-I was surprised that you- uh, that you and the others came to my um, my rescue," he stuttered, giving his leader the closest thing he'd get to a thank you. Megatron looked at him carefully, but Starscream couldn't maintain optic contact. He felt like he should have a hand around his neck or a fist in his gut. Not only that, but his pride hurt a little for even attempting to gratify Megatron with an apology. The gun-former was pleased with the way he rendered his Second a stuttering, nervous wreck. The silence was unnerving and Starscream knew Megatron still stared at him. The Seeker quickly became anxious- a characteristic that wasn't unusual for a flier who had sat around as long as he had, which only served to make the situation worse.

"Do you need something?" Starscream asked, still refusing to lock optics with his leader again.

"No Starscream, I don't need anything," Megatron finally spoke. The Seeker shifted uncomfortably.

"Why exactly are you in my quarters then?" the Air Commander wondered, the usual bite lacking in his question.

"I came to discuss a few things with you," he began, "I spoke to Soundwave the morning after our victory celebration."

Starscream remained silent. 'Here it comes,' he thought.

"He showed me footage from our victory celebration," the gun-former continued. Starscream shifted again, knowing a beating was coming. Megatron said nothing further and nothing happened. The silence ate away at the flighty Seeker.

"I didn't mean for anyth-," the gun-former was on him in an instant, completely cutting him off. Their lip components met as Megatron crushed his lip components in a bruising kiss. The flier didn't know what to do. As soon as the kiss began, it was over. The leader of the Decepticons was already standing, as though ready to make a break for the exit, but he wouldn't escape from Starscream so easily.

"Is _that_ supposed to be your apology? I did absolutely nothing wrong yesterday, yet somehow I wound up as a prisoner of the Autobots, one of which I remind you is completely insane now, in case you've forgotten!" Starscream shouted. Megatron glared at his Second.

"Starscre-," the flier wouldn't let him talk.

"No! I had to endure threats from you, and _torture_ from the _Autobots_, and do you know why? Because _you _got drunk off your aft and woke up with corrupted memory files! You should have been the one put through that torture, not me!" the Air Commander yelled. Megatron marched back over to his Second reached out an arm as though he intended to choke the flier. Starscream glared at him and continued his rant, stopping Megatron from attacking.

"Now you intend to strike me? After all that I had to go through simply because you couldn't remember what happened when you woke, you're going to attack me. Go on then, I'm becoming quite accustomed to receiving punishment for things I didn't do, so go ahead!" he pointed a finger at his face, "Right here, Megatron! Just get it over with! I don't see why you bothered coming to rescue me if all you plan to do is hit me! You should have left me with the Autobots, because they were doing a great job of punishing me!"

Megatron closed the gap between himself and the flier quickly, startling Starscream from his rage induced haze. The gun-former grabbed his Second's face with both hands, and instead of receiving a punch, Starscream received another kiss. It was brief, and soon there was space between their faceplates once more, though Megatron had not released the flier from his grasp.

"Fool, do you honestly expect _me _to apologize? Especially to someone like you? You should be glad that I came to your rescue at all, you ungrateful traitor," Megatron whispered, no malice or anger in his voice. Starscream faltered at this. He expected to be yelled at, to be struck. Instead, his leader was giving as much of an apology as his pride allowed. This completely threw the flier off and left him unable to come up with any witty retorts.

"Megatron," he said, not knowing what exactly to do.

"With a reputation like yours, what did you expect me to think when I awoke?" Megatron asked.

"Considering your recent…behavior…you could have come to a number of conclusions that didn't involve me doing something wrong."

"What? Did you expect me to ask you politely?"

"You have a nasty habit of shooting first and asking questions later. That's largely contributed to the reputation _you've _given me over the years," growled Starscream in response.

"You are lucky I didn't shoot you when I woke up."

"And _you're_ lucky I didn't shoot you while you were over energized."

Megatron chuckled at his Second. He rubbed the flier's face with a thumb and spoke again, this time quieter than before.

"I thought I was going to kill you when I shot through you to reach Skyfire."

"You must have actually aimed for once in your life," Starscream teased.

"Perhaps I did."

Megatron released his hold on the Air Commander's face and sat on the berth, pulling Starscream down to do the same. The flier hated how easily Megatron had diffused his anger, especially since he prided himself on his ability to conjure up rage to direct at his leader at any given time.

"Starscream," he began, his mere voice sending shivers through his Second's circuits, "What did Skyfire do to you while you were the Autobots' prisoner?"

There was a slight hesitation before Starscream spoke.

"He tried to get me to join the Autobots. He told me they'd be better to me than the Decepticons. He said I could pursue my love of science. He said I would be happy with the Autobots, with him," Starscream trailed off. He felt Megatron tense beside him.

"What did he do to you?" the gun-former asked, trying to get his Second to explain every single thing that occurred in his cell.

"He um, he kissed me when he first saw me," Starscream felt strange discussing that but felt the need to tell his leader for some reason, "I guess he thought he could coax me into joining, but I bit him instead, which is why I guess he decided to try to reprogram me," Starscream trailed off. Megatron chuckled.

"You bit him?" the gun-former chided. A part of him felt angry at Skyfire thinking he was allowed to kiss the Air Commander. Starscream huffed near him.

"It's all I could do, they had me restrained!" the Seeker cried, his voice squeaking. Megatron laughed again.

"What's so funny? If I could have done anything else, I would have! I was just biding my time anyway!" He pouted indignantly. The chuckling didn't cease.

"Slag it, stop laughing at me! I would have figured a way out of the situation myself! I didn't need your pity then, and I don't need your mockery now!" the Seeker shouted angrily. He jumped up from his berth, intent to leave and sleep with his trine mates for the night. Megatron gave him no such opportunity, though. He grabbed the flier by the arm and pulled him into his lap. He nuzzled the surprised Seeker's neck.

"I'm sure you could have escaped eventually," he laughed, "But I didn't feel like waiting a million years for your return!"

Starscream scoffed at the insult without realizing the dual meaning of his leader's words. Megatron reached both hands up to stroke his pouting Second's wings. He quickly realized his love for the appendages. Starscream slumped against him as he rubbed away the pain from his recent damage and repair. His leader's soothing ministrations had him fighting recharge in a matter of seconds. He leaned back against Megatron, no longer caring about the hatred he was supposed to hold for the gun-former. What Megatron was doing with his hands was just too nice and he was so tired. The gun-former laughed again before resituating them so they were laying together on the berth, Megatron on his back on the berth and Starscream on his front on top of Megatron. The Seeker nestled in against his leader unabashedly and quickly fell into recharge.

The silver tyrant figured it wouldn't hurt to stay just a little longer. He was quite comfortable. He felt at peace for the moment, a feeling which rarely graced his processor. Only when the Air Commander was gone did Megatron realize how accustomed he'd become to seeing the fiery mech every day. Relief had washed over him when Starscream's optics onlined in the Medical Bay and he learned Skyfire had been unsuccessful in his reprogramming attempt. As recharge came to claim Megatron, he realized how hard he was falling for his Second- something he didn't know how to handle at all.


	8. Reminisce

This chapter is the longest I've posted yet. Originally, it was going to be two separate chapters. Having said that, I want to warn you that it gets pretty crazy. If you finish it and feel a bit confused, have no fear! There's a lot of material here, and most of it is pretty open-ended. Towards the end it gets fairly flashback intensive, so be prepared. Also, while proofreading this chapter, I realized that one of my name choices relates to G.I. Joe- a fact I overlooked until I was about to post the chapter. I like the name a lot though, so it's staying. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed. I'm glad the last chapter left some of you guessing.

Text in parenthesis is someone speaking over the com link.

All text that is italicized in bulk is a flashback.

Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers and don't get anything but personal entertainment from writing this.

Enjoy.

* * *

**Chapter 7: Reminisce**

"But I want to see him, TC!" Skywarp complained.

"He's probably recharging. We should give him some space, especially after the way he left the Medical Bay earlier. He isn't ready to see anyone," Thundercracker argued.

"I just want to check in real quick. We could pop in, say hello, then leave! That's all I want to do, I promise!" he begged. Thundercracker sighed.

"Fine, but when I say it's time to go, it's time to go," the blue Seeker warned.

"Thanks, TC!" Skywarp cried, hugging his lover tightly. He planted a kiss firmly on Thundercracker's lips before teleporting them both to the Air Commander's quarters.

When they appeared in Starscream's room, Skywarp almost fainted. He leaned on Thundercracker for support as they both stared at their trine leader's berth, mouths agape. Starscream lay comfortably on top of Megatron, whose arms were wrapped possessively around the flier's waist. Both were in recharge. Thundercracker couldn't believe his optics. He elbowed Skywarp as a sign to go, since he couldn't form any coherent words. Skywarp teleported them back to their quarters after a few more seconds of silence.

"You saw that too, right? Tell me I wasn't imagining things," Skywarp beseeched his lover.

"Yeah, I saw it too. Both our leaders, lying together on Screamer's berth. I didn't realize they had made so much progress, especially after what just happened. I sure hope Screamer knows what he's doing," Thundercracker cried. He moved to their berth, feeling the need to sit down. Skywarp sat next to him.

"Yeah, so much for him not wanting to see anyone right now," Skywarp grumbled.

"I think I need some rest," Thundercracker said, holding his head in his hands. Skywarp nodded in agreement, and the two lay down together.

* * *

Megatron onlined his optics and frowned when he realized where he was. He didn't want Starscream thinking he was soft for staying with him all night. As slowly as he could, Megatron tried to move his Second off him and onto the berth. The flier's optics snapped online when he felt his weight being shifted. The gun-former cursed inwardly. Starscream sat up quickly, his mind racing to figure out why his leader was in his room. The silver mech found himself enjoying the way Starscream sat on top of him with that confused look on his face. He could tell his Second remembered everything when a smirk replaced the confused gape on his faceplate. The Seeker leaned back down on Megatron, still smirking.

"I didn't think I'd see you in here this morning," he purred. The Decepticon Commander simply stared at his suddenly playful Second. Starscream leaned in close to his leader, their noses almost touching. Megatron wasn't about to let himself be intimidated by an overly excited Seeker. He smirked as well. Then they were locked in another heated kiss.

Skywarp suddenly appeared in his trine leader's room. He had news to relay to Starscream, but suddenly lost his ability to speak when he saw the two fiercest Decepticons in the universe making out on the Air Commander's berth. He opened his mouth to say something but immediately closed it again. Shortly after, Starscream seemed to notice his trine mate. The kissing stopped and the First and Second in Command of the Decepticons turned to stare at the intruder. Skywarp seemed to regain his ability to speak, but only as stuttering.

"I uh, I w-was sent here to uh, g-get Sc-Screamer for S-Soundwave," he tripped over every other word. He received twin glares. Starscream seemed ready to pounce at his trine mate at any moment, though Skywarp also noticed his reluctance to move away from Megatron.

"D-Don't worry, you're se-secret's safe with me," he promised, bringing his hands up in mock surrender. Starscream left his berth and approached the violet Seeker, his face completely calm. Skywarp took a step back. A calm Starscream was a scary Starscream. He stopped right in front of his comrade and smiled. Megatron watched lazily from his Second's berth.

"I know it is, Warp," Starscream purred, "Now tell me, what is it that Soundwave needs from me?"

"He uh, he has a few questions. Yeah, questions," Skywarp stated.

"What kind of questions?" the lead Seeker asked, genuinely curious.

"Something about you and Skyfire. What he did to your mind. He needs to see you in the Control Room," the intimidated jet-former replied. The answer seemed valid enough. From the berth, Megatron tried to recall if he had ordered Soundwave to have a look at the Seeker's mind. He didn't remember issuing such an order, but he shrugged it off since he had planned to ask Soundwave to complete such a task eventually.

"Alright, take me to him," Starscream ordered. Skywarp nodded and placed a hand on his leader's shoulder. Then, they vanished. The gun-former was left alone in his Second's room. He took advantage of the situation and began snooping around. For someone as showy as Starscream, the room was fairly Spartan. There was a berth, a desk, a computer on the desk, a chair, and a side room in the Seeker's quarters. Megatron decided to search the side room first. He wasn't sure what exactly he would find, considering he used his own for storing High Grade and scrap metal.

His Second's spare room looked larger than the main room, which Megatron found odd. Had Starscream expanded the size of his closet without anyone noticing? In it were numerous shelves filled with boxes. A table was pushed against the wall across from the gun-former. It stretched across the length of the wall. The Decepticon Commander approached it carefully, noting along the way that nothing had dust on it, meaning it was a frequently used room. Blueprints were scattered across the table, along with tools and spare parts. A semi-dismantled Null Ray sat next to a diagram. Megatron picked the data pad up and realized it was a hand drawn blueprint of the weapon. Notes were scribbled in any available space and numbers accompanied every set of notes. He set the data pad back in its place. A little further down the table mixed in with the spare parts was another data pad but no weapon parts lay near it.

Megatron approached it but didn't bother touching it. He sneered disdainfully when he saw the picture. In it, Skyfire stood behind Starscream with his hands resting on the Seeker's wings. A half smile was on the smaller flier's face and a massive grin was on Skyfire's, and Starscream held a Null Ray in his hand. Megatron assumed the picture was taken on the day the two scientists had finished it. Pleasantly, he saw the cracks all over the data pad that looked as if someone had almost crushed it in his hands.

At the other end of the table, he saw what looked like a massive weapon by the Seeker's standards. He approached it and picked up the data pad near it. On it was an image of what the weapon was eventually meant to be, though it was almost complete already. It resembled Megatron's Fusion Cannon, but it was sleeker and the numbers and notes indicated it was to be more powerful and possess a more concentrated blast. He saw a few of his own body specs on the data pad as well. For a moment, he felt incredible anger. Starscream planned to create a weapon that mirrored his own? Did he plan to use it, and the specs he apparently possessed, against him? Was this going to be used in another attempt to overthrow him? Then he realized what was going on exactly. The specs Starscream had on him were those of his right arm and targeting programs. The weapon was intended for him. He set the data pad back in its place and left the room. His optics fell on the desk in the main room. He'd search it too.

In it, he found reports and a few tools. He dug around a little and found a data pad displaying a picture. It was from the ceremony held in honor of Starscream being promoted to Air Commander and Second in Command of the Decepticons. Megatron smirked at the thought they had both kept the very same picture hidden away in a drawer of their desks. In the picture, the younger Starscream wore a simple purple cape, but it gave him the look of royalty. Megatron stood next to him with an arm around his shoulders, looking down at him with what could be described as pride. The Decepticon Commander wore a purple cape as well, richer in color, but had a crown on to signify his status as supreme ruler.

Megatron noted the sincere- and full- smile on the young flier's face. Back then, Starscream had been genuinely interested in serving Megatron and furthering the Decepticon cause. Somehow that had been warped over the years. Starscream had become paranoid, always looking out for himself. He knew that not all of that admiration and loyalty the Seeker had for him was gone yet- the weapon in Starscream's little workshop and his reaction to the gun-former's touch earlier proved that. An idea formed quickly. He contacted Soundwave, who responded immediately, though the gun-former knew he was still talking to Starscream at the moment.

(Yes, Lord Megatron?)

"I have a mission for you. You are with Starscream right now, correct?"

(Affirmative.)

"Tell him you need to spend more time inspecting his mind before you can draw a sound conclusion. I don't care if he argues. After you tell him, you'll meet with me in my quarters. If you need to, tell him I've ordered another session with you."

(As you command, Lord Megatron.)

The gun-former smirked. He spent a moment longer looking at the picture, noting that it was in pristine condition. Then, Megatron placed it back in the desk, making sure nothing looked out place. He left Starscream's quarters to make it to his own before the jet-former returned.

* * *

Skywarp teleported an angry Starscream back to his and Thundercracker's quarters when Soundwave had shooed them away stating he had more urgent business to attend to. Thrust was called in to monitor the status of things within the Control Room. Skywarp and Starscream were simply dismissed. Thundercracker jumped up from his berth when the two popped in. Starscream had a sour look on his face.

"Skywarp, why didn't you take me to _my _quarters?" he asked irritably.

"Because a few things need to be settled, _Starscream_," Skywarp stated. Starscream didn't seem eager to talk. He knew what his trine mate wanted to bring up and was in no mood to discuss it. He didn't even understand it entirely himself. Quickly, he diverted the topic away from Megatron before he could even get brought up.

"I can't believe Soundwave made such a big deal out of me coming down there to see him when he was just going to blow me off so quickly," the Air Commander grumbled. Skywarp knew what was going on but wasn't going to let Starscream escape explanations so easily.

"Yeah," he started, "If he had let you be, you could have spent more time locking li-," he was tackled to the ground by his trine leader.

"Shut your mouth, Warp!" he cried. Thundercracker watched the scene, dumbfounded.

"Screamer, TC is the only person I want to tell! He's going to find out no matter what, so it's better that you're in here when I say it!" Skywarp argued back.

"No, don't you dare say anything!" Starscream yelled, covering Skywarp's mouth with his hand. Suddenly, Starscream's aft hit the floor and his hand covered nothing. He looked over to Thundercracker to find Skywarp hiding behind him.

"You teleporting little glitch! You would have been better off warping outside of this room because when I get a hold of you, I swear to Primus I'll beat you until you beg me to let you warp into this primitive planet's sun!" Starscream roared, rising to his feet. Thundercracker stood to stop his trine leader from doing anything drastic.

"What in the Pit are you two going on about?" he yelled. Starscream shot an icy glare past Thundercracker at Skywarp.

"Don't you dare," the red and blue flier hissed. A smirk slowly found its way onto Skywarp's face.

"You know, Screamer, while you're beating me, I can just tell TC here what happened over our bond," the violet Seeker said smugly, tapping the side of his helm for emphasis. Starscream narrowed his optic shutters at his trine mate.

"You wouldn't dare!" he challenged.

"Try me," Skywarp said casually.

"Slag it, Warp! Don't you do it!" Starscream growled, though he lost some of his menace, "Let me tell him since he's going to find out anyway."

Skywarp reveled in his rare moment of triumph.

"Sit down, TC, and don't you dare laugh or I'll kill you," the Air Commander threatened. Thundercracker nodded obligingly and sat down with his bondmate who held him from behind.

"Skywarp, you'd better not laugh either or I'll kill you too, especially since I'm going to tell the two of you things neither of you know about yet," Starscream warned. Skywarp nodded, excited about hearing such juicy information.

"You remember the party we had that day we gathered so much Energon?" the lead Seeker asked. The other two nodded silently.

"Well, right after you two went to dance, Megatron came over, drunk off his aft. He kept praising me, telling me how brilliant my plan was and how glad he was that he made me Second in Command. _That _should have been my first clue that something was wrong. Then he uh, starting doing stuff," Starscream trailed off. Skywarp's optics almost popped out from his faceplate.

"Stuff? What kind of stuff, Screamer? You have to tell us!" Skywarp demanded. Starscream shot him a fierce glare but conceded.

"He started rubbing my wings, but I kept telling him to stop. I doubt he knew what he was doing. Our glorious leader just couldn't stop there, though," Starscream said haughtily continuing his explanation while raising his hands in exasperation, "So he started kissing my neck, and then we started kissing, and eventually he took me to his quarters."

"Dear Primus! What did you two do? Did he…you know…" Skywarp asked, peeking over the shoulder of his bondmate.

"Slag it, Skywarp, no! He put me on his berth and I told him he was drunk and would probably beat me in the morning, but he swore he wanted it. Then he just passed out on top of me. Right out of nowhere. I was trapped in his quarters. When he woke up, he beat me and told me to leave his base, so I did," Starscream shouted, flailing his arms in anger, "And that's why the Autobots found me alone with barely any energy left. I just flew somewhere and shot _everything_," he growled.

"That explains why you were all alone out there when I contacted you," Skywarp offered.

"Yeah, then I was rescued. Skywarp, do you remember what Megatron said before he shot me?"

"No, not really. I was too busy panicking because you _asked _Megatron to shoot you," Skywarp answered.

"Well, right before he shot, he looked at Skyfire and said 'Starscream belongs to me and me alone'," Starscream said. His trine mates seemed slightly dumbfounded. Starscream continued.

"Then I woke up here at the base in the Medical Bay and he was there. After I went to my room, I laid down for some recharge and he just walked into my room like he owned the place," he paused to glare at Skywarp who no doubt wanted to make a joke about how, as leader of the Decepticons, Megatron _did_ own the place.

"Since he was in there, I sort of thanked him for rescuing me," he paused again to glare at Skywarp who apparently wanted a thank you as well, "Calm down, I'll thank you two later. After I thanked him, he just sat there. He wouldn't say anything, or even hit me, so I asked him what he wanted," Starscream frowned before continuing, "He got serious and said 'I came to discuss a few things with you'. Then he told me that Soundwave showed him a recording from the night at the party. I tried to tell him it wasn't my fault, and he ended up kissing me again. Then he got up like he was going to leave, but I wasn't going to let him get away so easily. I had to go through all of that trouble for no reason, and all I got for compensation was a lousy kiss?"

"Megatron is a lousy kisser?" Skywarp laughed.

"No, no, wait…no! I meant that's _all _I got."

"Oh, I see! You wanted him to frag your brains out!" Skywarp shouted, pointing an accusatory finger at his trine leader.

"Shut up! That's not what I meant either!" Starscream screeched.

"Well, Warp here may be a little blunter than you like, but that's what you wanted from Megaton, right? A good interface session? I've heard Megatron's pretty good," Thundercracker teased lightly. Starscream growled and his wings shifted back to mirror his anger.

"Okay, okay, we'll stop, but you don't have to be so prude about it. We both understand what you want. And besides, how long has it been since you've interfaced with anyone?" Thundercracker said.

"I don't want to talk about this." Starscream turned as though he wanted to leave.

"Wait! Okay, we'll stop talking about it. Let's talk about something else, like what Warp and I saw last night," Thundercracker conceded. Skywarp shot his bondmate a look of concern, clearly worried that Starscream would snap if he learned of their accidental spying.

"What do you mean?" the Air Commander asked, narrowing his optic shutters.

"Well, since we're telling secrets here, I guess I have to tell you. Last night Warp was begging me to let him see you. He wanted to see how you were doing, talk to you a little. I said we could pop in really quick, but when we did, we saw you and Lord Megatron all snuggled together," Thundercracker said. Starscream stared at his trine mates blankly. He had two options: get angry and possibly ruin the relationship they had begun rebuilding or let it slide because it was obvious they were concerned. He sighed.

"I can't tell you how annoying your teleporting abilities are, Skywarp," Starscream huffed with no real anger in his voice, "But I still have more to tell the two of you."

The other two Seekers perked up at this, understanding that it was Starscream's way of forgiving them for invading his privacy. It also told them that he seriously intended to be a little more trine oriented. In any other situation, the Air Commander would have exploded with rage to mask his immense paranoia at being spied on while so vulnerable during recharge. His quip about Skywarp paralleled a statement of understanding. The trine leader made to continue his story.

"Well, when I came out of recharge, he was still there, and one thing led to another, so we ended up kissing again. Then Skywarp popped in and took me to Soundwave," Starscream finished.

"Oh Screamer, you two are perfect for each other," Skywarp laughed.

"Shut up, Warp, he hates me. He's just trying to manipulate because he accidentally found out how I feel. Well, last night was the last time he'll ever get the best of me like that!" Starscream swore.

"Don't be ridiculous. Megatron clearly feels something for you too. Otherwise he wouldn't have been so adamant about your rescue," Thundercracker argued.

"I doubt it was his choice to rescue me. You two probably had more to do with it. Megatron ignores me unless he intends to beat me or toy with me," growled the Seeker.

"He probably ignores you because he loves you too, and so you act out and pretend you're going to betray him to get attention, which is why he beats you, so he keeps his image as a strict leader safe. You two love each other!" Thundercracker said forcefully.

"No, no, that's not true! I disobey him because he's a terrible leader!" Starscream cried, though without much conviction.

"Yeah, that's why you saved a picture from your promotion ceremony and why you're working on a new Fusion Cannon for him, not to mention the times I caught you calling his name when yo-," Starscream stared in shock at Skywarp but cut him off before he could finish.

"You went through my stuff? And you've been spying on me! You little glitch, I swear to Primus, when I get my hands on you!" Starscream screeched. Skywarp cowered behind Thundercracker as his trine leader leapt at him. Thundercracker jumped up and stopped him, though Starscream thrashed wildly trying to free himself.

"Calm down, Starscream! You know how Warp is! He spies on everyone! He's just a trouble maker!" Thundercracker yelled, shooting his bondmate a glare.

"I don't go through your things, Skywarp!" the lead Seeker shouted.

"I only went through your stuff to see what kind of things you were getting into, and to make sure you weren't coming up with too many crazy plans to dethrone Megatron," Skywarp said.

"You're on _his _side now? I thought I could trust you!" Starscream screeched.

"I'm just looking out for you! Some of your schemes were designed to get you killed! I just happened to come across the other stuff along the way," Skywarp assured before weakly adding, "Your inventions are really cool, Screamer." The Air Commander faltered and his struggle against Thundercracker instantly ceased.

"What did you say?" he demanded.

"That your inventions are cool. I read your blueprints for the Null Ray, and it's a really efficient weapon. I never knew anything about it before," Skywarp offered meekly.

"You-you mean that? You actually _wanted _to learn how the Null Ray works? Did you hit your head?"

"No! I just, you know, thought it might be cool to know. I figured we could talk about it sometime or something. It would be a way for us to talk without you yelling at me or accusing me of kissing Megatron's aft," Skywarp replied. Starscream stared at his unusually pathetic sounding wing mate. Skywarp wanted to connect with him? How awful had he truly been to his trine mates in his quest to make Megatron pay for what he did all those years ago? He sighed in defeat and looked up at Skywarp.

"Skywarp, I-I didn't, what I mean is I never wanted to- to," the Decepticon Second in Command trailed of, unsure how to apologize.

"It's alright, Screamer. If I let that stuff get to me, I would have killed you in your sleep a long time ago!" the teleport laughed. Starscream stared at his awkward wing mate, not used to his strange sense of humor. Skywarp grinned at his leader cheekily. Thundercracker sighed, glad the situation had diffused. His trine mates were so difficult to deal with. He sat back down on the berth with his bondmate, who snuggled up to him pleasantly.

"Like TC was saying, Megatron definitely likes you, Screamer," Skywarp said as he traced a hand along his one of his lover's wings.

"I still think you're being ridiculous. There's no way Megatron could feel anything but hate toward me. That's why he pretends to be interested in me and that's why he's been letting me help plan our raids!" Starscream argued.

"Have you ever thought that you're being too paranoid? You're overanalyzing this. Megatron's is _never _so subtle when it comes to punishing you," Thundercracker said.

"I am _not _paranoid, Thundercracker!"

"Who are you trying to convince, TC or yourself?" Skywarp asked.

"Skywarp," Starscream growled.

"Look, all we're saying is that Megatron has to reciprocate at least _some _of your feelings. I wouldn't give up hope just yet, Screamer. As I recall, he was just as into your little make out session as you were," Skywarp said mischievously. The Air Commander punched his subordinate in the arm playfully.

"Now that we've settled that, how about that thank you?" Skywarp prompted as he scooted out from behind his lover. Starscream tackled him playfully, laughing at his ridiculous trine mate. Thundercracker watched, briefly wondering to himself why exactly Soundwave had been recording the events that occurred at their party the other day.

* * *

Soundwave knocked on Megatron's door. He knew he would get yelled at for being late but the opportunity he had just seized was too good to pass up. He had passed the room of Thundercracker and Skywarp while on the way to meet his leader. While passing, he heard a particularly interesting conversation going on. The Communications Officer eavesdropped often enough, but it was rare that he recorded a private conversation like that. He snapped out of his thoughts when the door to Megatron's quarters slid open. He walked inside to find Megatron sitting at his desk rigidly. The door closed and locked behind the tape-deck.

"What kept you?" Megatron asked, clasping his hands together on his desk.

"Seekers: Distracting," Soundwave replied.

"We'll discuss it later. Right now, we have to discuss one Seeker in particular. _Starscream_," the gun-former stated. The Communications Officer remained silent.

"I need you to look into Starscream's mind for something specific next time you go to inspect him. You are to tell him that he needs to be offline and has to lower his firewalls for your inspection. I'm certain he'll argue. I'll be there to coax him into complying. When you search his mind, you are to look for memories pertaining to what exactly made him so paranoid and self-centered. Probe and record his memories for my viewing later," Megatron ordered.

"As you command, Lord Megatron," Soundwave replied. The Decepticon Commander reclined causally in his chair since business was finished.

"Now, tell me, what did the Seekers do that was so interesting it caused you to be late?" Megatron asked.

"Seekers: Conversing in Skywarp and Thundercracker's quarters," Soundwave replied.

"Soundwave, you were eavesdropping, weren't you?" Megatron teased.

"Affirmative. Lesser two Seekers: Demanding retribution from Starscream for successful rescue mission," the tape-deck answered. Megatron chuckled.

"Retribution, you say? What kind of retribution?" the gun-former asked.

"Answer: Uncertain. Theory: Minor physical interaction," Soundwave answered. Sooner than he expected, the tape-deck felt the waves of lust rolling off his leader. He felt wisps of jealously toward Starscream's trine mates flow from the gun-former before the mental barriers were up. Soundwave instantly ceased his attempt to probe the Decepticon Commander's mind.

"Seekers also discussed your advances on Starscream," Soundwave continued.

"Hmm? And what exactly did they have to say?" Megatron asked.

"Starscream: Convinced you are toying with him. Thundercracker and Skywarp: Certain you reciprocate Starscream's feelings."

"They're certain of this?"

"Affirmative."

"I see. Make sure they keep such beliefs to themselves. You are to retrieve Starscream at your earliest convenience. Contact me when you have him available to you for the procedure," the silver mech ordered, waving his hand as a sign that Soundwave could leave.

"As you command, Lord Megatron," the Communications Officer responded. The door unlocked and Soundwave took his leave. He returned to the Control Room, relieving Thrust of duty. The Conehead reluctantly left his post. He scampered off before the tape-deck could read his mind, but when Soundwave took his seat, he realized why the flier had wanted to stay. The monitor in front of him was playing live footage from the room Thundercracker and Skywarp shared. Currently, Starscream was worshipping the violet Seeker with his mouth with the help of Thundercracker. It took a couple seconds for Soundwave to build up the will to turn the monitor off. He would have to give Starscream an hour or two before he called him in for a mental probing. He would also have to change the access code for cameras in private quarters. Thrust wasn't supposed to be able to tap into such footage.

* * *

Starscream left the quarters his trine mates shared, a content expression gracing his faceplates. He passed Blitzwing as he walked to the mess hall. The triple-changer patted him on the back, smiling broadly.

"Starscream! I'm glad to see you're all better! I heard from Megatron that you're the one who helped come up with those successful Energon raids. You're why we got to have a party! You're a hero!" he said jovially. Starscream stared at the mech for a moment, completely dumbfounded.

"Uh, thanks I guess," he mumbled.

"Let me get you some Energon, my hero!" Blitzwing insisted. He put an arm around Starscream's shoulders and guided him into the mess hall. He sat the dazed flier down and rushed off to get the promised Energon cubes. He returned and passed a cube Starscream's way while greedily drinking his own. The Seeker drank from his cube tentatively. Blitzwing slammed his cube on the table in triumph when he finished it.

"So tell me, how did you get Megatron to let you help make the plan for a raid?" Blitzwing asked.

"I had to take a lot of beatings, that's how," the flier grumbled, still in his own world.

"I don't have that kind of patience!" the triple-changer laughed. Starscream forced a chuckle. He just wasn't feeling up to gloating at the moment, which surprised him. Astrotrain walked up behind the brooding Seeker and placed a hand on his wing. The flier tried not to panic.

"Starscream, I was wrong about you, sort of. I just want you to know that you're all right," he said. He let his hand slide off Starscream's wing as he walked away. The Seeker suppressed a shudder. Dirge passed by and shot Starscream a charming smile. Thrust ran into the mess hall and leapt on his crush.

"Starscream! I'm so glad that you're alright! I was so worried!" Thrust cried, planting a kiss on Starscream's cheek.

"Get off me, Thrust!" the Air Commander demanded why trying to push the Conehead away from him.

"But you let Skywarp and Thundercracker kiss you!" Thrust whined. Starscream growled and shoved Thrust from his lap and stood. The Decepticons already knew of the Seeker bond Starscream, Skywarp, and Thundercracker shared, but that didn't mean Starscream wanted anyone spying on them, especially not Thrust. Blitzwing laughed at the downed Conehead.

"Thrust, why do you even bother trying to get with Starscream?" he teased. Thrust grumbled incoherently from his spot on the ground. Starscream's com link received a message during Blitzwing's taunt.

(Starscream: Your presence is requested in the Medical Bay to complete the inspection of your CPU.)

Normally, the Second in Command would argue with the Third in Command, but he wasn't up to it at the moment, especially if it meant he could escape the idiocy taking place in the mess hall.

"I'll be there shortly."

He cut off his com link and looked at the bickering Decepticons.

"Sorry fools, but I have other engagements to attend to," he said, turning his chin up and walking away from the mess hall. The Decepticons in the mess hall watched him go.

Starscream opened the door to the Medical Bay, now looking at the floor as he walked. When he raised his head, a small gasp escaped his lips. Soundwave was there, as expected, but so was Megatron. He tried to think back to what he might have done wrong.

"Starscream, come sit over here," Megatron ordered. The flier obeyed silently. He sat upon a medical berth near Soundwave.

"Go ahead and lay down," the gun-former said. Again, the Seeker obeyed without question.

"Before Soundwave can check over your CPU, you need to lower your firewalls and go into stasis lock," the Decepticon Commander stated evenly, feeling the need to explain the situation himself. Starscream sat up in a flash.

"What! You can't honestly expect me to do that!" he argued. Megatron pointed a charged Fusion Cannon at him.

"I can and I do. I suggest you comply, Starscream. You have my word that no harm will come to you," the gun-former said sternly. The Seeker tried to hide his fearful shaking. He had but two options: let down his defenses or get blasted. He definitely enjoyed being alive. Starscream conceded moodily, slightly angry with himself for taking some comfort in Megatron's promise. He lay back down on the berth, muttering Cybertronian obscenities. Megatron lowered his weapon and Starscream could hear it powering down.

"Soundwave simply needs full access to your mind, and after the way you affected Skyfire, I don't want to take any chances. I need my Communications Officer to retain his sanity. Surely you understand," Megatron said charismatically.

"Yes, my Lord," Starscream said sullenly before offlining his optics. After a moment, it was clear that he had obeyed his leader's instructions.

"Soundwave, you may begin. You are to record significant events for my viewing later," the silver tyrant stated.

"As you command, Lord Megatron," the tape-deck said as he placed a servo on either side of the offlined Seeker's helm. Many moments passed, filled with a deafening silence. Megatron became impatient. Soundwave had told him it wouldn't take very long. There must have been an extensive amount of information in Starscream's mind.

The Communications Officer was suddenly mobile again, lowering his hands to his sides. He looked up at Megatron, but his visor and face guard prevented any emotions from being betrayed. The gun-former nudged his Second. Starscream's optics flickered online as he woke. There was a brief pause, in which Megatron assumed the flier was running a systems' check and raising his firewalls again. The Seeker looked at Soundwave expectantly. The Communications Officer returned the gaze.

"Starscream: Unaltered by Autobot Skyfire," the tape-deck reported. The Air Commander rose from the berth and exited the Medical Bay silently on that note. His rigid demeanor and flighty exit slightly bothered the Decepticon Commander. He at least expected Starscream to complain about how long Soundwave had taken to check him over or to be more suspicious about his intentions. Instead, the Seeker just strutted from the room as if the whole situation bored him.

"What do you have for me, Soundwave?" Megatron asked.

"Information: Overwhelming. Request: Allow me time to compile the most important aspects of Starscream's memories," the monotone mech replied.

"Fine, contact me when you've finished, but make it quick," the gun-former demanded. He walked toward the exit as Soundwave thanked him with the usual "As you command, Lord Megatron". The Decepticon Commander walked to the mess hall, intent on getting some Energon in his systems. Many of the Decepticons were milling about when he arrived. They moved out of his way quickly enough when he got close. The gun-former grabbed a cube and sat alone at a nearby table. The chatter in the mess hall became soft whispers because no one wanted to anger their leader since Starscream wasn't around to take the beating for them. Megatron finished the cube leisurely and left the room at an equally relaxed pace. No point in rushing while he was waiting for something.

He walked to his quarters, passing Starscream's along the way. He stopped in front of the Seeker's door, and just as a test, he tried to open it. He had done this numerous times before, and Starscream almost always had his quarters locked up tight. It was safe to assume it had to do with the beatings Megatron generally administered to him in private. When the door slid open without issue, the gun-former couldn't resist walking inside. Starscream wasn't in the main room, though. However, items were scattered all over the place. The desk was turned over, its contents spilled on the floor around him. The photo from Starscream's promotion ceremony could be seen on his berth, unharmed. A chair was lodged into the wall to Megatron's left. Clearly Starscream had thrown some sort of fit.

He heard faint crackling sounds coming from the side room. It was safe to assume that Starscream was in there working on one of his projects. The Decepticon Commander knew better than to try to walk into the other room. The door would be locked, indefinitely. He could make out Starscream hissing and spitting foul words inside his little workshop. Most of it was in a mix of Cybertronian and English, but Megatron understood the gist of what the Seeker was angry about.

Starscream knew Soundwave had taken longer than necessary. He knew Megatron had ordered the Communications Officer to search for something in particular, though he didn't know what exactly the gun-former wanted. He ranted on about his CPU being fine, and how Soundwave _knew _he was fine after their first session. Metal hitting metal could be heard. Starscream cursed Skyfire a couple times, then cursed Megatron and Soundwave a couple times, and even cursed his trine a couple times. Invading his mental privacy was clearly a bad move, but Megatron felt it had to be done. When he figured out why Starscream was so paranoid and flighty, he would fix it and make the Seeker forget all about his anger toward him so the flier would admire him once more.

The Decepticon Commander turned around, ready to seek out Soundwave and force him to work faster. When he got one foot out of the door, a large blast of purple energy shot through the side door of the Seeker's room. Megatron looked over his shoulder and noted that the blast had torn a clean hole through the lab room door, struck the chair in the wall- melting it- and had torn a hole through the wall. He heard Dirge yelling from the next room, and Ramjet from two rooms down. The weapon was very powerful.

"Slag it, this stupid slagging piece of fragging slag! It is most certainly _not _resistant, Hook!" he heard Starscream yell from inside the workshop. The lab door slid open, and a large piece of sheet of metal with a hole torn through the center flew into the main room. Cybertronian curses followed. Megatron could hear the Seeker kicking things around as he made his way into the main room. The gun-former took it as his cue to leave. He did so quickly. He could still hear Starscream cursing when he made it three doors away. The Seeker had no idea he'd been in the room.

* * *

The Decepticon Commander walked into the Control Room dramatically. His gaze fell on Soundwave who, much to Megatron's satisfaction, seemed to have just finished his work. The tape-deck turned in his seat to speak to his leader.

"Lord Megatron, the compilation is complete," Soundwave stated. Megatron locked the door of the Control Room and stood behind his Communications Officer.

"Play it," Megatron ordered. Skipping the "As you command, Lord Megatron," Soundwave simply played the footage. Megatron watched the scenes playing out before him. He quickly realized it was all, not surprisingly, from Starscream's point of view.

_At first the view was of nothing- completely dark. Then a sharp tapping sound resounded from somewhere nearby. Optics flashed online and the view changed to that of an arched ceiling. It appeared to be smoothed out and streamlined everywhere, lacking sharp corners. Starscream's gaze shifted to the right, attempting to find the source of the sound. A window came into view, and Starscream's optics adjusted to see into the darkness that veiled the world outside. A figure stood behind the window, waiting to be allowed inside. Starscream jumped up and opened the window to let the figure in. A Seeker stepped out from the shadows and into the room._

_Starscream turned on a lamp on a stand near his berth, illuminating the features of his visitor. The Seeker was white with red hands, chest, hips and feet. The mech had a porcelain white faceplate and black helm. He possessed a look of regality, even while casually standing in Starscream's room. Starscream had to look up quite a bit to see the Seeker, but it was obvious that the visitor was of normal size, which made it apparent that Starscream was still a youngling._

"_Hello, Starscream," the mech said, kneeling down to put their optics on the same level._

"_Hi! I was waiting up all night for you!" Starscream said pleasantly, running over to hug the larger mech, who chuckled when the youngling latched onto him. Starscream released his visitor and looked up at him._

"_Starscream, sit down please. I have something important to tell you."_

"_What is it?"_

"_My son, this is the last time I will be able to visit you. I wish it weren't so, but I don't have a choice."_

"_No! You can't just leave!" Starscream sobbed._

"_Please, this isn't easy for me either. But I don't have a choice. I want you to know that I am very proud of you. You are very strong, so I know you can continue without me. Can you continue to be strong for me, Starscream?"_

_The smaller Seeker didn't speak for a while, trying to keep from sobbing. His efforts were in vain though, and soon he began to cry. The larger mech approached him and placed an arm on his back._

"_Don't cry, my son."_

"_W-Why do you ha-have to g-go now?" Starscream wailed._

"_I wish I could tell you, but I can't. Just know that I have to go, but I don't have a choice in the matter. I don't know how long I'll be gone, either," the mech replied._

"_But you'll come back, right?" the smaller Seeker sniffled._

"_Yes, eventually."_

_Starscream seemed to calm as he responded, "Then I'll wait for you!"_

_The mech chuckled sadly._

"_Come, Starscream, lay down for bed."_

"_Will you stay until I fall asleep?" Starscream asked as he crawled onto his berth._

"_I always do. Tonight will be no different."_

_Satisfied, Starscream snuggled into bed as the larger mech sat on the floor next to the berth._

"_If you don't make it back to me, I'll come looking for you," Starscream declared tiredly._

"_That's very sweet of you, Starscream. I will do everything I can to come back to you. But I need you to promise me something."_

"_What?"_

"_I need you to promise me that if you ever run into trouble, you will go to Stormshadow for help. I know he isn't your creator, but Suncaller…he doesn't know how to help someone like you. Can you promise me that?"_

"_Yeah, I promise."_

"_Thank you, Starscream. I'm going to hold you to your word. Now sleep."_

"_Now you have to promise me something. You have to promise me that you'll be safe where ever you're going because you have to come back!" Starscream demanded._

"_Of course I promise to be safe. Remember, I'm the fastest flier that has ever lived. No one can catch me," he assured the youngling._

"_One day, I'll catch you! Otherwise I'd never be able to find you if I had to go looking for you." The mech chuckled sadly again._

"_You will be very fast, I'm certain of this. Now please, try to rest." Starscream obeyed and snuggled in further before offlining his optics._

The screen went black, and Megatron paused the footage briefly to speak.

"What does this have to do with Starscream's paranoia and self-centeredness?" he demanded, motioning to the now dark monitor.

"Starscream's creator: Never returned. Starscream: Still looking for his creator. He has developed overwhelming bitterness over the years because of it," Soundwave replied.

"Hmm, who was that mech? I've never seen him before. And if that is one of Starscream's creators, why was he sneaking through the window to see him? Why didn't he just walk through the door?" Megatron wondered.

"Mech's name: Unknown. Information: Unobtainable from Starscream's mind."

"Unobtainable? How is that possible? You had him in stasis lock on a berth with his firewalls lowered. How could he hide that information from you?" Megatron growled.

"Answer: Starscream has suppressed the information to a point where telepathy is useless to retrieve it. The information was pursued but unreachable."

"Well, then why was he sneaking through the window?" Megatron demanded.

"Seeker: Is one of Starscream's creators, but the creators were not bonded. The one called Suncaller was bonded to another but created Starscream with this mystery Seeker. Starscream and a select few others seem to be the only ones who knew. Suncaller: Determined to keep Starscream's origins a mystery."

Megatron grunted in disapproval and played the video to take his mind off Soundwave's reply.

_Starscream seemed to be running from something, as he occasionally looked back to make sure he wasn't being followed. His intakes worked hard as he continued to run. When he finally reached his destination, the flier came to a sloppy stop, almost tripping over himself in his rush. He stood before a large door, which he beat upon with his fists rather harshly. Not soon after, the door slid open to reveal a mech that stood optic level with him._

_ "Who are you? And what happened to you?" the mech asked._

_ "Is-is Stormshadow he-here?" Starscream huffed._

_ "Um, yeah, just wait a minute and I'll get him." The mech ran off, only to return moments later with a much larger mech, colored a dark navy blue. It became apparent that Starscream was still quite young based simply off the size difference._

_ "And who are you, youngling?" the one called Stormshadow asked, his voice rich and deep._

_ "My name is Starscream," the small Seeker replied, having caught his breath._

_ "Starscream? What are you doing here?" asked Stormshadow, the look on his face betraying the fact that he actually recognized the youngling at his front door._

_ "My creator said to come to you if I ever needed help," Starscream answered._

_ "Come in then, quickly." The young Seeker obeyed and entered the house. It was quite massive. He was led through a large hallway into a plush living room area with more than a few couches to sit on._

_ "Please, sit down. I'm going to call a friend of mine over to see if he can help patch you up. My son will keep you company." With that, Stormshadow left the room. Starscream looked over to his son- the mech who had answered the door. The Seeker was a lighter blue with features that mirrored his own. Starscream dropped his gaze to the floor, no longer wishing to talk._

_ "So your name is Starscream, huh?" the other youngling asked._

_ "Yeah, what's it to you?" Starscream asked defensively._

_ "My name is Thundercracker. I think I've met you before."_

_ "I don't remember you."_

_ "Well, maybe we can get to know each other."_

_ "Why would I want to get to know you?"_

_ "Why not?"_

_ Starscream huffed but could not offer a reasonable answer. Stormshadow reentered the room and knelt near him._

_ "You really are his son. You look just like him," the large mech mused before continuing, "I have a medic friend coming over to help fix you up. Can you tell me who did this to you?"_

_ "Suncaller. He did this to me," Starscream replied meekly._

_ "Your own creator? But why?" Stormshadow asked._

_ "We were training. He was teaching us advanced flight techniques, and I told him that one day, I was going to be as fast and agile as my other creator. When I used my other creator's name, Suncaller got really angry. He told my brothers to leave, but made me stay. Then-then he hit me. He told me- he told me that my other creator was dead! He told me never to mention him again, especially around my brothers! The hitting didn't stop, so I waiting for an opening and ran away!" Starscream cried. Thundercracker locked optics with him, a surprisingly solemn look on his face._

_ "I see," Stormshadow's voice snapped Starscream's attention away from Thundercracker, "Well you are safe here, Starscream. My friend will be here any minute, so you can relax."_

_ Starscream nodded at the larger mech._

_ "Anytime you ever need a place to stay, you can come here. We would be happy to have you." Starscream nodded pleasantly at this offer. Soon enough, knocking sounded off at the door again. Thundercracker rushed to the door to answer._

_ "It's Ratchet!" the youngling called._

_ "Well let him in, son," Stormshadow ordered from the living room area in which he and Starscream sat. Ratchet entered behind a stoic Thundercracker._

_ "Primus, what happened here?" Ratchet asked as soon as he locked optics with the beaten Starscream._

_ "He's been hurt. Please help him, Ratchet," Stormshadow asked._

_ "Right away. Come here," the medic requested, ushering the small Seeker to sit on another couch. Starscream obeyed silently. Ratchet got him to lay down and pulled out his tools. Stormshadow approached them._

_ "I need to you enter stasis lock, can you do that for me?" the medic asked. Starscream's gaze darted from Ratchet to Stormshadow and back again._

_ "Please Starscream, I know this is all very strange for you, but Ratchet is a good friend of mine. He just wants to help you. You can trust him, I promise," Stormshadow assured. Starscream's view bobbed up and down, a sign that he was nodding in agreement. He offlined his optics._

Megatron huffed again as he paused the footage for a second time.

"Soundwave, what is the meaning of this? How does this help me at all? The information you've gathered is useless!" the tyrant shouted.

"Starscream's paranoia stems largely from Suncaller, one of his creators. This was the first instance in which his creator struck him. Suncaller: Hated when Starscream spoke of his other creator and struck enough fear into Starscream's spark to force him to suppress his other creator's very name. It is also when he met Ratchet, who later left him and the other Seekers to become an Autobot. This very scene was a great turning point in Starscream's life," Soundwave explained as well as he could manage. Megatron made another sound of disapproval. So Starscream didn't trust many individuals because of a less than fantastic life? It wasn't surprising considering many who joined the Decepticons lived through rough times as well. It didn't make Starscream any different from the others, though, so there had to be something else that would tip him over the edge into becoming his current day self. Megatron played the footage once more.

_Starscream rushed up the steps of a beautiful building, akin to that of Crystal City. He ran inside and through a number of hallways before finding the door he seemed to be searching for. Quickly, he entered a code into the locking mechanism next to the door. It slid open and Starscream hurried inside. He spotted the mech he had apparently been looking for at a nearby table typing something in on a computer terminal._

_ "Hey, Skyfire! We got our expedition approved! We can leave immediately!" Starscream said happily. Skyfire turned and smiled happily at his comrade._

_ "Alright, we can leave whenever I finish with this," the shuttle-former offered._

_ "Well hurry up!" Starscream urged playfully._

_ "Why are you always so eager to go on these distant missions?"_

_ "Because I'm looking for something."_

_ "That's what you _always _say. When are you going to tell me what that something is exactly?"_

_ "I tell you when I find him," Starscream whispered._

_ "What did you say?" Skyfire asked._

_ "Nothing, just that you need to hurry!" the Seeker laughed._

_ "I'm typing as fast as I can!"_

_ Eventually the two fliers were packing the necessary items and left their home planet as they had a number of times before. Eventually, they wound up on a small moon which orbited a mostly blue but somewhat green planet. It was clear that the blue was water and the green was land._

_ "Alright, let's go take a look," Skyfire offered. The two mechs took off toward the planet. When they arrived, Starscream instantly took to searching around. The sun began to set but Starscream's pace remained constant the entire time._

_ "It's getting dark. We should find a place to recharge," Skyfire said._

_ "Not yet. I'm still searching," Starscream replied._

_ "We can look some more tomorrow. Besides, we haven't taken any samples or anything. We aren't doing our jobs, you know!"_

_ "I said I'm not done. You can go recharge if you'd like, but I'm going to keep looking."_

_ "If you told me what you were looking for, maybe I could help."_

_ "No! Just, no. I can find it on my own."_

_ Silence overtook the pair, but it was obvious that Skyfire had no intention of leaving his partner. They continued flying but the clouds in the sky became more menacing as they progressed._

_ "It looks like a storm is rolling in. We should stop and seek shelter," Skyfire offered._

_ "Not yet," was the short reply he received. Suddenly, snow began to fall from the sky, and it picked up far more quickly than expected._

_ "Starscream! I can't even see you anymore! We need to land!" Skyfire shouted._

_ "No, we can just fly through it!" Starscream argued._

_ "There's no way that'll work! Please Starscream, just land!"_

_ "No, we can make it!" the Seeker assured. He continued flying, though not nearly as fast. Skyfire seemed relatively quiet, so after a while, Starscream tried to talk to him._

_ "Skyfire, are you alright?" he shouted. No reply came._

_ "Skyfire? Can you hear me?" Still no reply. He tried the com link, but all he heard was silence. He began to panic._

_ "Answer me, Skyfire! Where are you?"_

_ The wind picked up and tossed Starscream around and around. He almost crashed a number of times but manage to stay airborne. For what seemed like hours he battled the blizzard until finally it died down. He landed shakily and attempted to regain composure. He tried calling out for Skyfire once more, but the shuttle-former failed to answer, even over the com link. Starscream settled in for the night, assuring himself he would find the large flier in the morning._

_ When morning came, Starscream searched again, but came up empty handed. The footage sped up to show a quick lapse of one week in which Starscream searched frantically for his partner. Eventually, the Seeker gave up._

_ "This is all my fault. I should have landed, just like you said. Now you're gone. I'm so sorry, Skyfire," Starscream cried as he left the planet to head back to Cybertron. When he returned, he immediately sought out his friend Thundercracker. He found him at his house, which he walked right into without even knocking._

_ "TC! TC, where are you?" he called. Thundercracker emerged from the dining area with another mech in tow._

_ "Hey Screamer, what's wrong?" Thundercracker asked. The mech beside him fidgeted._

_ "I-I lost him. I lost Skyfire. We were exploring a distant planet. There was a storm. He wanted to land, but I didn't listen. He just disappeared!" Starscream wailed, ignoring the other mech beside his friend._

_ "What? Skyfire is gone?" Thundercracker asked, shocked._

_ "Yes! He must have crashed somewhere in the ice, but I couldn't find him! I searched for a week straight, but he was nowhere! It's like he disappeared into thin air!" the explorer shouted._

_ "Calm down, it's not your fault. You didn't know he wouldn't be able to tough the storm. Besides, maybe he escaped and came back to Cybertron as well," Thundercracker assured. Starscream nodded solemnly before finally locking optics with the strange mech standing beside Thundercracker. An awkward silence hung in the air before Starscream spoke._

_ "Who is that?" he asked flatly._

_ "This is my friend Skywarp. I met him at the Academy. We have some classes together and we were studying when you came over," the blue Seeker explained._

_ "Right," Starscream replied before turning to leave. As he made for the door, he could hear Skywarp whispering to Thundercracker._

_ "Is he always like that?" Skywarp asked._

_ "Of course not! He just lost his best friend. You'd be upset too if that happened to you. I'll be sure to reintroduce the two of you when he's back to normal," Thundercracker assured. Starscream sighed and left the house._

The screen blackened once more and Megatron simply sneered at it. How he hated Skyfire. He wished the shuttle-former had just stayed buried in the ice forever. The gun-former loathed the idea that Skyfire could have such an effect on Starscream, even if it happened ages ago. Another scene began playing.

_Starscream was in a room with Skywarp and Thundercracker, and they were both laughing at him._

_ "Shut up you two! I'm your trine leader, you're not supposed to laugh at me!" Starscream yelled indignantly._

_ "Oh come on, Screamer, it's funny. I even think it's kind of cute. I can't believe you have a crush on Lord Megatron. I doubt he even notices you," Skywarp teased._

_ "You take that back, Warp! He does notice me! And even if he doesn't now, he will. I'll make sure of it, so you'd better take that back!" the young Seeker demanded angrily._

_ "Maybe if you prove it, I'll stop laughing," Skywarp chuckled. Starscream growled and his body tensed._

_ "Come now, Screamer, you know Warp is just teasing you. Don't let him get to you. I'm sure Lord Megatron will notice you if he doesn't already. Just be careful. He may seem charismatic, and I guess he isn't too bad looking, but he's also incredibly powerful and cruel. I'd honestly prefer it if you could just move on, but if you insist on pursuing him, I have to insist that you be careful," Thundercracker stated with a soft smile._

_ "Screamer here will have no trouble at all if Megatron turns out to be a little rough. He likes it when they make him scream!" Skywarp laughed. Starscream swung at the violet Seeker's face. Skywarp teleported out of the way, expecting the violent response, but as soon as he reappeared nearby, a fist landed squarely in his face._

_ "You faked me out, you little fragger!" Skywarp whined, rubbing his sore faceplate. He made to grab at his trine leader, but Starscream was too fast. The smaller Seeker dodged and laughed at his trine mate._

The gun-former didn't quite understand what that particular clip had to do with anything, but he refrained from asking since he was tired of Soundwave's monotone explanations. The scene changed again. It was one Megatron remembered all too well.

_Starscream ran quickly to his trine mates' quarters. The door was locked, but he quickly overrode the lock sequence and entered. His trine mates were engaged in a heated make out session and Starscream cleared his throat to gain their attention._

_ "Ever heard of knocking, pest?" Skywarp asked playfully._

_ "You two are going to be late for my ceremony, and you promised you'd come!" Starscream whined._

_ "Is it that time already?" Thundercracker asked._

_ "Yes! Aren't you two coming?" Starscream demanded._

_ "Of course we are, Screamer, calm down. We just lost track of time," Skywarp stated. The three walked to the room in which the ceremony was to take place. Starscream took his place at the front of the room, accompanied by Megatron and Soundwave. The Decepticon Commander wore a flush purple cape and a crown. From a nearby table, Megatron grabbed another purple cape and draped it around the Seeker's shoulders. Starscream smiled up at him._

_ "Today is a glorious day in Decepticon history," Megatron stated to his crowd of followers. Starscream looked in the crowd and spotted his trine mates. He smiled at them as Megatron looked down proudly at the Seeker. Someone snapped a picture._

_ "This soldier has proven himself time and time again on the field of battle. His scientific knowledge paired with his unmatched speed and unrivaled air superiority has earned him the right to be called my Air Commander and my Second in Command!" Megatron declared. The audience applauded loudly. As one strong voice, the chanted, "All hail Lord Megatron!"_

_ Megatron looked down at the Seeker again, a hand still lingering on his shoulder, and stated, "All hail Starscream."_

Megatron assumed the clip would stop there, but it didn't.

_After the ceremony, Starscream retreated to his quarters long enough to place his cape on his berth. He then hurried back to his trine mates. Looking at Thundercracker, he spoke._

"_I'm going to tell him today," Starscream said. Thundercracker seemed to understand what he meant._

"_Try not to seem too desperate, Starscream," Thundercracker warned, hugging his trine leader and planting a kiss on his cheek._

_ "Yeah, you have to make sure you look strong in front of him," Skywarp agreed, briefly hugging and kissing Starscream as well._

_ "Thanks guys, I'll let you know how it goes!" Starscream said excitedly. He quickly walked in the direction of Megatron's quarters. He turned a corner in one of the hallways and stopped in his tracks. He saw the Decepticon Commander, having clearly consumed some High Grade, with another mech in his arms. He was locking lip components with the other mech._

_ "Crossfire," the newly appointed Air Commander hissed. Starscream slid back into the shadows and returned the way he came. The Seeker stormed past his eagerly waiting trine mates. He shot them a look that clearly prevented them from asking any questions. He returned to his quarters and grabbed the cape Megatron had wrapped around him. With a flick of the wrist, he tossed the cape in the air and blasted it with his Null Rays until not even a single thread remained. Then he stormed into his side room, which bore a striking resemblance to a laboratory. Starscream removed his Null Rays and immediately began drawing schematics and alterations to his weapons. He was deathly silent._

Megatron briefly remembered that Starscream's first act of treason had been killing Crossfire. It made sense now. The gun-former had a drunken one night stand with that mech. Apparently he had chosen the wrong night. Yet another scene played.

_Starscream happily ran down the hallway, looking down every once in a while to check the cargo he carried. He arrived at Megatron's quarters and knocked strongly on the door. It slid open to reveal a disgruntled Megatron._

_ "What is it, Starscream?" he asked, bored._

_ "Lord Megatron, I've made something for you!" the Seeker stated happily._

_ "Show me," the gun-former commanded. Starscream obliged, holding up the newer model of the Fusion Cannon he had created. Megatron smirked, motioning for the Seeker to bring the weapon to him. He detached his current cannon, replacing it with the newer model. Then he pointed it at Starscream._

_ "Lord Megatron! What are you doing?" the flier asked, taking a few steps back toward the door._

_ "I thought I should test it out," Megatron laughed. He fired and the shot tore through the top half of his Second's right wing. The Seeker cried out and fell to his knees, Energon dripping all over the floor._

Megatron remembered that day as well. He had intended to mess with Starscream when he claimed to want to test it. Unfortunately, he hadn't synced the weapon with his targeting programs, which caused the shot to be a bad one- one that tore up his Second's wing. The gun-former grumbled, making a note to refrain from doing that again if Starscream ever decided to present to him the even newer Fusion Cannon he had been building. A new scene appeared.

_Starscream was finishing writing on a data pad before he stood from his desk and bounded down the hall. He ran to the Control Room, seeking out his leader. Megatron was sitting in his throne, his head resting on his left arm._

_ "Lord Megatron, I have something I want you to see!" the Seeker stated._

_ "What is it now, Starscream?" the gun-former asked, clearly not amused._

_ "Look," the flier requested, handing the data pad over. Megatron glanced at it briefly before locking optics with his Second._

_ "This idea is ridiculous! Why would you bring this to me?" he mocked._

_ "But Lord Megatron, I worked on it for hours, and I even ran it through the battle simulator. It has a high chance of success!" Starscream argued._

_ "It's a terrible plan, Starscream, anyone could tell you that. Get this slag out of my sight!" Megatron ordered, throwing the data pad at his Second. Starscream caught it clumsily, retreating to his quarters quickly afterward. Once inside the safety of his room, Starscream cracked the data pad in half and threw the remains to opposite corners of his room. Then he sat down at his desk and stared at the data pad he had propped up against his computer. It was the photo taken at his promotion ceremony. The Seeker grabbed it and stared at it for a moment before opening a drawer in his desk and placing it inside._

Another memory Megatron recalled in detail. Starscream's plan had been quite reasonable, but Megatron was outraged that the Seeker had managed to come up with something so reasonable. He couldn't let Starscream think he was better, so he lied.

"How many more of these are there, Soundwave?" he asked angrily. He didn't realize that his Communications Officer would pick so many that related to him specifically. Megatron felt insulted that Soundwave would insinuate that he was part of Starscream's problems. Of course, in the back of his mind, he knew he played a large part in the Seeker's paranoia, but he felt strange seeing things from Starscream's point of view.

"One remaining, Lord Megatron," the tape-deck answered. Megatron nodded, his attention glued to the monitor again.

_The Decepticons were locked in a heated battle with the Autobots upon the surface of Cybertron. Unfortunately, the Autobots had gained the upper hand. Starscream was shooting at the three Autobots nearest to him. Bumblebee leapt out of nowhere to tackle him to the ground and managed to tear the Null Ray off the Seeker's left arm. Starscream struggled with the yellow Autobot for a moment longer before he managed to kick Bumblebee off him. He fired at the other two Autobots, who crept away to regroup. He returned his attention to Bumblebee, who was aiming the stolen Null Ray at the back of his leader. Starscream cried out in warning, but it fell on deaf audio receptors. Bumblebee fired and Megatron fell to his knees. Starscream fired his own Null Ray at the yellow Cybertronian who transformed and drove off as fast as he could. Megatron turned and saw Starscream's weapon raised. The conclusion the gun-former had jumped to was obvious._

_ "Decepticons, retreat!" Megatron called. Soundwave helped his leader up and they all returned to base without the Autobots pursuing them. When they made it back, Megatron had recovered from the slight shock of the Null Ray. In front of the entire Decepticon army, he fired his Fusion Cannon at the Seeker. Starscream simply stared at his leader and the weapon in shock as the blast hurdled toward him. He continued to simply stare from the spot on the ground he wound up on after the shot hit him. Megatron tore the Seeker's wings off with a howl of rage and repeatedly stepped on his Second's right arm. Starscream cried out in pain at every blow. The flier was left broken on the floor of the Control Room. His trine came to his aide but only after Megatron had left. Only then did Starscream allow himself to slip into stasis lock._

Megatron cringed inwardly at that particular memory as the monitor flickered and went black. That was the first harsh beating he had administered to the Seeker, and he had done it for all to see as a warning. He never knew that it had been a terrible misunderstanding, especially since Starscream later went out of his way to pointedly shoot his leader whenever he felt the urge. Soundwave spoke to his leader, though he remained staring at the blank monitor.

"Note: There were many more memories but I chose those as the most important," the Communications Officer stated. Megatron stood silently in his place. Had he really done all those things to his Second? The scariest part of it all was that the Decepticon Commander actually felt guilty for what he had done. He shook his head. Never had he felt guilty for messing with his subordinates or punishing them. After a moment longer, Megatron made a decision. He would have a discussion with Starscream in which he intended to sort things out in a way that didn't require him to admit fault or sacrifice his pride- at least he hoped that's how it would work.


	9. Instigate

As a warning, this chapter gets a bit violent. Also, I'm just going to go ahead and say that I don't hate Ramjet either, but he's another victim of my plot. Poor guy. Perhaps this longer-than-usual-but-not-quite-as-long-as-the-last-one chapter will make up for it.

P.S. - I hope you remember what happened at the end of chapter three.

Text in parenthesis is someone speaking over the com link.

All text that is italicized in bulk is a flashback.

Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers and don't get anything but personal entertainment from writing this.

Enjoy.

* * *

**Chapter 8: Instigate**

The Constructicons made quick work of the holes in the room of Starscream, Dirge, and Ramjet. Dirge simply shrugged the entire ordeal off after a few moments spent cowering near his desk. Ramjet, on the other hand, freaked out, yelling terrible things at the Air Commander. He still stood outside of Starscream's room, banging on the door and demanding that the red and blue Seeker show himself. Finally fed up with the obnoxious whining of the Conehead, Starscream opened his door and stared blankly at Ramjet.

"It's about time you came out here, you slagging moron!" Ramjet cried. The Air Commander remained silent. Megatron turned the corner of the hallway but stopped in his tracks when he heard Ramjet mouthing off to the Decepticon Second in Command.

"Sometimes I can't believe how stupid you are! Testing a weapon like that indoors? What were you thinking?" the Conehead shouted.

"I was thinking that maybe I'd get lucky and hit you," Starscream shot back.

"You listen here, little Screamer, I know Megatron made you his Second in Command, but I'm tired of having to bail you out and put up with your stupidity. I would make a better Second in Command than you any day!" Ramjet shouted.

"You think so? You think you could do a better job creating plans for our Energon raids or putting up with _Megatron_?" Starscream roared. Ramjet involuntarily took a step back.

"At least I don't get captured by Autobots! And I would actually _do_ my job as Second in Command instead of coming up with less than feasible plots to overthrow Megatron, so he would actually _respect _me!" the Conehead continued. That seemed to be the last straw. Starscream snapped and punched Ramjet in the face, sending him roughly into the opposite wall of the hallway.

"You think you could gain Megatron's respect? I have been trying to get him to respect me for countless millennia and he rarely even looks my way! You wouldn't even be able to gain optic contact with him, let alone respect!" Starscream screeched. He pointed his Null Ray at the stunned flier before him. Megatron took that as his cue to step in.

"Starscream!" he bellowed. The Seeker looked over at him with a shocked expression on his faceplate- Megatron wasn't supposed to hear him say that. He lowered his weapon in his surprise. Ramjet took advantage of the Air Commander's distracted state and struck him in the face. Starscream stumbled backward into his quarters and out of Megatron's sight. The gun-former ran down the hall, pointing his Fusion Cannon at Ramjet.

"Stand down, soldier!" Megatron ordered icily. He could hear Starscream cursing in the other room. Ramjet pressed his back against the wall, trying to seem as small as possible.

"Stay right there," the gun-former commanded. Ramjet nodded.

"Starscream, get out here!" he demanded. The flier appeared in the doorway, hateful gaze directed at the other flier in the hall.

"Do you two want to explain what exactly it is that you're doing?" Megatron growled.

"Lord Megatron, I don't believe Starscream is fit to lead. He should be stripped of his status as Air Commander and Second in Command of your army," Ramjet stated angrily.

"On what grounds?" the Lord demanded.

"Stupidity and negligence! Not only did he get captured by Autobots, leaving us to rescue him and clean up his mess, but he's testing dangerous weaponry _indoors_! Besides, he's always plotting to take your place!" the Conehead yelled.

"That sounds a lot like what you're trying to do to me right now, Ramjet," Starscream hissed, "And you can blame Hook for the change in your room's décor! He gave me a worthless piece of metal to test my weapon against!"

"You're an idiot! I can't believe you wo-," Ramjet tried yelling at the lead Seeker again, but Starscream cut him off.

"You're the idiot if you think you'll actually get to take my place! Megatron may think _I'm _useless now, but he'd think twice about that if he ever saw _you _try to lead anyone!" Starscream shot. Megatron grew more and more irritated by the arguing Seekers as the seconds passed.

"Silence, both of you!" the Decepticon Commander roared. The fliers jumped, having forgotten he was even there, and turned their attention to the source of the shout.

"So Ramjet, you don't think Starscream is fit to be my Second in Command, even though _I _chose him for such a position?" Megatron asked.

"I-I, well, he, I didn't mean you made a bad choice, my Lord, I just meant that he's become too focused on his own interests. You need someone loyal by your side, not a selfish traitor like him!" Ramjet clarified.

"And who would take his place?" Megatron asked.

"Me! I'm better than little Screamer over there in every way possible. I would be loyal to you, and I would be a much stronger leader than he ever was!" the Conehead sneered. Starscream growled lowly at the arrogant flier. He clenched his fists and took a step forward.

"You can't be serious, Ramjet. You had plenty of opportunities to earn what I have, but you were never good enough!" Starscream seethed. Megatron knew he needed to diffuse the situation quickly.

"Lord Megatron! Please let me challenge Starscream for his position! He isn't worthy to be your right hand mech!" Ramjet pleaded. Megatron looked between the two fliers.

"Challenge him?" Megatron asked.

"You already tried that once before for head trine rights, and I beat you in all of five seconds!" Starscream argued.

"You can't just snub my challenge, Starscream! You _have _to accept! Besides, that happened hundreds of years ago! While you sat on your lazy aft doing nothing all those years, I trained and perfected my skills!" Ramjet gloated.

"What skills?" Starscream laughed derisively. Megatron grew tired of being forgotten by the two arguing Seekers. He needed to put an end to it, so he made a decision.

"Alright, Ramjet, I'll let you challenge Starscream," the gun-former began with a smirk as an idea formed in his head, "You two will have a duel tomorrow afternoon. I'll allow you both to choose a single weapon to bring, but there will be no transforming. It will be a test of raw power and skill, winner takes all. Just like the days of the gladiator in Kaon."

"You can't be serious!" Starscream shouted.

"I am _very _serious, Starscream. If you are so confident that you belong at my side, prove it," Megatron said casually, leveling his heated gaze on his Second. The Air Commander faltered at this. What did he mean by that? Starscream narrowed his optic shutters at Ramjet.

"I'm going to kill you," he growled dangerously while pointing a promissory finger at his new foe. He took a step back and closed and locked the door to his quarters. Ramjet scampered off to his room. Megatron opened the com link with Soundwave.

"Soundwave, come in."

(Yes, Lord Megatron.)

"Meet me in my quarters immediately. I have a mission of utmost importance for you."

(As you command, Lord Megatron.)

The gun-former continued casually along to his room. Shortly after he made himself comfortable inside, a knock sounded at his door.

"Enter," he commanded. The door slid open revealing Soundwave, who stepped inside.

"Soundwave, it seems there is unrest among our troops," Megatron began, carefully shielding his mind so the tape-deck didn't get ahead of him.

"Assumption: Starscream and Ramjet," the Communications Officer offered. Megatron frowned at the astute guess.

"Yes, it seems Ramjet thinks he's better suited to be my Second in Command," Megatron sighed from boredom, "They're going to have a duel tomorrow, and winner takes all. I've allowed them to use a single weapon and have banned transforming."

"Suggestions: None." Soundwave replied, though he mentally sighed. He grew weary of being the referee of the games Megatron continued to play.

"You're going to be the judge for this fight. When one is dead or clearly in stasis lock, you'll stop the fight. Honestly, I'd rather have them both alive, but I suppose it's not my place to demand a completely clean fight from Decepticons," Megatron mused.

"As you command, Lord Megatron," the tape-deck replied.

"You may leave," the gun-former said, focusing his attention on his monitor, "And announce this event to the others. We wouldn't want anyone to miss this."

Soundwave could tell the Decepticon Commander was watching the footage from Starscream's mind again. He also caught a glimpse into his leader's mind before he left.

Megatron had intended to speak to Starscream immediately after seeing the compilation video of the Seeker's memories. However, it seemed that he had run across an arguing Ramjet and Starscream and lost track of what he had intended to do. Not only that, but it seemed the gun-former was second guessing himself in terms of confronting Starscream to admit he had made mistakes. To avoid this issue within his mind, Megatron was distracting himself with the duel that was to take place- a duel that, not surprisingly, was modeled after the old gladiator fights of Kaon. Perhaps Megatron wished for Starscream to prove himself worthy of respect in battle before he became worthy of hearing Megatron admit fault. Shaking his head, Soundwave continued down the hall, thoroughly confused by his two leaders.

* * *

Starscream awoke early the following morning, going directly to his workshop. He tinkered with his left arm mounted Null Ray. He briefly glanced over at the upgraded Fusion Cannon he had planned to give Megatron a long time ago. It was finally finished as of the previous day, but he had told himself when they first began operating on Earth that he wouldn't bother handing it over. Unfortunately, he could never start a project and leave it unfinished, so the sleek cannon would simply sit in his workshop unused. 'What a waste,' the scientist in him thought. Perhaps he could go out and test it on a few unsuspecting Autobots at least once before retiring it. With a sigh, he refitted the Null Ray to his left arm and returned to his main room. Skywarp suddenly popped in.

"What do you want?" Starscream grumbled.

"I know you've been in a foul mood lately, but you don't have to take it out on me. I wanted to have breakfast with you. TC's waiting. We want to have a pre-duel meal, but if you want to pout until then, that's fine too," Skywarp said, narrowing his optic shutters at his trine leader. Starscream relented.

"Warp, I didn't mean it. Let's go get some Energon," the Air Commander said. Skywarp placed a hand on his trine leader's shoulder and they teleported to the mess hall. Thundercracker waved them over. Energon cubes already sat upon the table top. Starscream sat across from his two trine mates and drank from a cube silently.

"How do you feel about your duel?" Thundercracker asked neutrally.

"Ramjet is a moron. I've seen him fight. Megatron has banned transformations, which means that idiot can't just ram into me," Starscream sneered. Skywarp laughed.

"I know you don't think much of him, but I want you to be on guard when you're fighting Ramjet," Thundercracker stated.

"I'll be fine TC," Starscream said, waving a hand at his trine mate dismissively.

"Hey, where is that Conehead anyway?" Skywarp asked. The other two Seekers looked around but found no signs of Ramjet or Thrust. The only Conehead in the mess hall was Dirge, who didn't seem interested in the excitement buzzing around the room.

Every Decepticon, except Megatron, Soundwave, Thrust, and Ramjet, was in the mess hall. Almost all of them were talking about the duel and Blitzwing had even started a betting pool. The odds were put in Ramjet's favor since transformations were forbidden and Starscream's strength was in the sky. The triple-changer bragged that he managed to talk Megatron and Soundwave into betting, though he wouldn't say who they bet on. Knowing the relationship Starscream shared with the other two, most safely assumed they bet on Ramjet.

Just as the Air Commander and his trine mates finished their meal, Ramjet burst into the room with Thrust cowering behind him. The white Conehead wore a large smirk on his faceplate. He approached Starscream and tapped the flier on the shoulder.

"What do you want, Ramjet?" Starscream asked without bothering to turn around.

"I just wanted to wish you luck. You're going to need it against my secret weapon!" Ramjet bragged.

"I think I can manage," the Air Commander drawled.

"Whatever you say," the Conehead chuckled. Starscream took that as his cue to leave. He walked to the Control Room to let Megatron know he was prepared for battle. Once inside, he approached the Decepticon Commander, who sat upon his throne. He paid no mind to Soundwave, who sat at his designated computer terminal. He would let the tape-deck pick up on his first few thoughts- the ones he would surely relay to Megatron. The remainder of his thoughts were far too erratic for the tape-deck to pick up on. The calmness he intended to exude would throw the Communications Officer off anyway.

"Lord Megatron, I'm ready for my duel with Ramjet," the Air Commander's voice was low and even. The gun-former looked up, barely masking his surprise. Starscream wasn't bounding in, all snarky arrogance? Something must have been terribly wrong.

"What's the matter with you, Starscream?" Megatron asked carefully. Starscream looked up at him blankly.

"Nothing, my Lord. I'm prepared for battle at your command," the jet-former stated, his voice still low. Megatron eyed the Seeker carefully.

"Report outside immediately, then. Ramjet will be retrieved and the duel will start as soon as possible," the gun-former said.

"As you command, Lord Megatron," the flier replied before leaving the Control Room quickly. Megatron turned to Soundwave.

"Soundwave, could you read Starscream's mind just then?" Megatron asked.

"Briefly. Note: Starscream will not give up. The only way he'll lose is if Ramjet kills him. He has suppressed self-preservation programming. Assumption: Seeker wishes to gain Lord Megatron's respect in a manner most befitting of Megatron- a gladiatorial style fight. Note: Seeker has spent most of the morning perfecting frequency of Null Ray. The only thoughts in Starscream's mind just now were related to the duel. He is incredibly focused," Soundwave stated. Megatron could almost hear admiration in the tape-deck's monotone voice- almost. He himself grew excited at the prospect of Starscream pointedly intending to show off his skills in battle just for his leader. A smirk crept across the gun-former's faceplate at the mere thought of it.

"Soundwave, retrieve Ramjet and those who wish to watch. I want you to inspect Ramjet before the duel begins. I'll inspect Starscream," Megatron ordered. Soundwave could feel wisps of lust mixed with another indistinguishable emotion from the gun-former that was gone as soon as it appeared. Soundwave left the Control Room with haste. The Decepticon Commander stood and left the base to find Starscream. He found the flier standing in what could be described as a large, barren bowl of Earth dirt. The landscape was bleak, allowing Starscream to be easily located due to his showy paint job. The Air Commander stood at the bottom of the large basin, surrounded on all sides by shallow plateaus. He stood with his optics offline and his arms crossed. Megatron approached him and watched his optics instantly shine red.

"Starscream, I'm here to inspect you to make certain that you aren't carrying a second weapon or anything else that could be considered cheating," the gun-former said as professionally as he could manage. Starscream uncrossed his arms but made no other move. Megatron had never seen the Seeker so serious before. He approached the flier causally, giving his body a once over. Then he grabbed the flier's left arm to inspect the Null Ray mounted there. His touches were light and exploring, but Starscream didn't respond as Megatron hoped he would. The flier remained rigid, retaining his cold demeanor. The gun-former ran his hands along the Seeker's waist and thighs. Slowly, he walked behind his Second, running his hands along his favorite appendages. He was certain he would get a reaction from Starscream this way, but the Seeker seemed dead set on being serious. With a quick look around, Megatron noted that the others were still not out of the base. He hoped Soundwave would take his time. The silver mech leaned down a bit and wrapped his arms around his Air Commander's waist from behind, settling his chin on Starscream's shoulder.

"I placed a bet on your fight," he purred, nuzzling his Second's neck, "I bet against Ramjet."

"I will prove that I am Second in Command for a _reason_," Starscream said softly. Megatron laughed. He wanted to know what the flier was thinking, but decided it could wait until after the fight. Megatron spun the Seeker around and kept his hands wrapped around the jet-former's sleek waist.

"Do not fail me, Starscream," he said roguishly before dipping his head and capturing the flier's lip components with his own. At first he received no response, but soon he felt Starscream's lips move against his own. He moved one hand to stroke a wing as he deepened the kiss. A soft moan escaped the Seeker's lips. Megatron broke the kiss and took a step back after a moment longer. Starscream looked up at him, his expression hardened once again. The gun-former could make out the small forms of his remaining soldiers coming closer.

"I will earn the right to be at your side, Lord Megatron," Starscream said with a slight bow, the double meaning in his words obvious. Moments later, the others touched down. Starscream's back remained turned to them. Soundwave took the time to inspect Ramjet, using a scanner instead of physical contact. When he finished, he nodded at his leader. Starscream turned to face his opponent. His jaw dropped when he saw what was attached to Ramjet's arm. Megatron began dictating the rules, paying no attention to Ramjet or the weapon he wielded.

"This is to be a one on one duel. When only one mech is left alive or conscious or when one of you surrenders, the fight is over. You are both allowed to have one weapon on you but no transformations. Anything else goes. You are to listen to Soundwave without question. If he says the fight is over, it's over," Megatron ordered before walking to a safe place to watch. Soundwave stepped forward. The other Decepticons took places on high ground around the flat area the two fliers were going to battle in. Starscream remained dumbfounded.

"You may begin," Soundwave commanded. Ramjet roared in laughter.

"What's the matter, Screamer? Does my weapon scare you?" Ramjet taunted.

"You stole that Fusion Cannon from my quarters!" Starscream growled. Megatron turned to look. The weapon the gun-former had seen in Starscream's workshop was now mounted on Ramjet's right arm. The fight had already begun and Ramjet hadn't technically broken any rules, so there was nothing that could be done.

"It looks nice, don't you think?" the Conehead laughed, pointing it at Starscream as it charged.

"You aren't capable of using that weapon! Your targeting systems aren't compatible or even able to handle the Fusion Cannon!" Starscream shouted in warning.

"We'll see about that!" the white flier yelled as he fired the fully charged weapon. The Conehead slid back a couple feet, completely unprepared for the force of the blast, and landed promptly on his aft. Starscream attempted to dodge the shot, but it nicked his right wing. He cringed. The concentrated blast had an increased velocity that was almost too great for Starscream's battle systems to compensate for. Ramjet was already back on his feet.

"This is quite the toy you've been hiding from everyone," the white flier said, "What were you planning to do with it? Were you going to try to take over again? Or was this a sweet little present for our leader?"

Starscream shot him an icy glare that left him speechless for a moment.

"Did I hit a nerve? I hope I did! But I plan to hit much more than that!" he laughed as he fired the Fusion Cannon for a second time. Starscream's reaction time had slowed from the effect Ramjet's words had on him. The high-speed shot tore through the Air Commander's left wing, completely ruining it. Starscream howled in pain and fought to remain conscious.

The audience of Decepticons, save a select few, cheered as the shot tore through the Seeker and then a nearby cliff side. The Second in Command steeled himself, forcing Ramjet's words from his mind. He kicked on his thrusters and rushed the befuddled Conehead. He landed a vicious, thruster-aided uppercut. The white flier flew back and rolled head over heel on the ground a few times before coming to a stop. Starscream already had his Null Ray pointed at his fallen opponent. Ramjet was quicker than the Air Commander had given him credit for though, and the Null Ray shot missed and Ramjet rushed him. The two engaged in hand to hand combat, which seemed more like dancing than fighting at first glance.

Megatron's interest piqued substantially when the two Seekers began fighting in a manner he preferred- up close and personal. Originally, he just assumed Starscream and Ramjet would simply fire their weapons at each other from a safe distance. Instead, they were being quite physical. He had seen Ramjet fight hand to hand with other mechs in the past, but Starscream seemed to think such combat was beneath him, or at least that's what his unwillingness to fight in close combat situations said to the gun-former. When he saw his Second in Command fighting _impressively_ down in the makeshift arena, he couldn't help but wonder if the Seeker simply chose to hide such a skill. It wouldn't be the first time he caught Starscream downplaying his abilities. For the longest time, Megatron truly didn't realize just how _fast _his Second could be- in the air or on the ground.

Ultimately, Starscream was too quick and Ramjet was having trouble connecting any blows. The Decepticon spectators were going wild, cheering for both fighters. Ramjet jumped back, kicking his thrusters on to put some distance between himself and Starscream. Fresh Energon dripped down from the cracks and severed Energon lines both mechs sported in various places on their bodies. Again, Ramjet raised the Fusion Cannon.

"Is that the only move you've got, Ramjet?" Starscream mocked.

"Shut up, Screamer! I'm more of a warrior than you could ever be!" Ramjet roared. When he fired, Starscream had already calculated the trajectory of the shot and dodged.

"You're too predictable, fool! You don't know how to wield that weapon properly! Would you like me to stand still next time?" the Second in Command laughed.

"You think because you managed to predict one move of mine, you're going to win? Well think again!" Ramjet roared as he charged Starscream again. When he was just barely out of striking range, the Conehead stopped abruptly, leaving Starscream wide open, and fired the partially charged Fusion Cannon. Starscream was shocked by the surprise move and Ramjet's heightened maneuverability. He dodged as best he could, but the shot claimed his left arm just below the elbow joint and melted his Null Ray. Starscream fell to the ground and released an anguished cry. Ramjet walked over to the fallen Seeker and placed a foot on his back.

"Want to give up?" he asked cockily, pointing the Fusion Cannon so the shot was lined up with his spark chamber. It whined strangely as it charged.

"Never! I can't lose to you!" Starscream shouted as he rolled to his left. Ramjet lost balance briefly before catching himself. The Air Commander leapt to his feet and sent a thruster assisted kick to the left side of Ramjet's face. The heat from the thruster melted his right optic. The Conehead howled noisily and brought a hand to his wounded face.

"How dare you! I'm going to kill you, Starscream!" he bellowed. The Fusion Cannon whined strangely again as he tried to charge it. Starscream tore his half melted Null Ray from his arm and discarded it on the ground.

"I only need one optic to shoot you down, you cowardly fool!" Ramjet shouted. He fired the cannon again and, though he managed to dodge the shot, Starscream collapsed on the ground. Energon poured from his wounded body.

"Get up, Screamer! Don't you dare lose to that Conehead!" Skywarp shouted from his seat, his fists clenched tightly as he contemplated jumping in the fight to kick Ramjet's cheating aft. Of course, most were surprised Starscream had tried anything sneaky himself.

"Finish him off, Ramjet!" Astrotrain laughed. Megatron tried not to seem concerned as he watched Starscream's motionless form.

"Do you surrender?" Ramjet asked, already charging yet another shot. He walked slowly over to his fallen opponent.

"Never!" Starscream hissed, tilting his head up to glare at his opponent.

"Wrong answer," Ramjet mocked as he brought his foot down on the remaining half of Starscream's right wing. He relished the cries of pain that slipped from the Seeker's lips. When the Fusion Cannon finished charging, Ramjet moved his foot away from his enemy.

"I win!" he laughed as he aimed the weapon at Starscream's spark chamber again. The Air Commander laughed up at the Conehead.

"What's so funny? I'm about to end you!" the white flier yelled in frustration.

"You could _never_ defeat me," he coughed. Energon spilled from his mouth onto the ground.

"You're crazy! I have your spark chamber in my sights and this weapon is fully charged! You've lost!" Ramjet argued.

"Then finish it, if you can," Starscream taunted. The Decepticons that could make out the conversation were startled by the Air Commander's cold voice and seemingly unwarranted arrogance. Ramjet growled and attempted to fire the weapon. It didn't respond.

"What did you do?" he cried, backing away a few steps. Starscream sat up laughing.

"It's not what I did, it's what you _couldn't _do," Starscream coughed. Ramjet pointed the Fusion Cannon at Starscream's seated form but nothing happened again.

"What's going on?" the white flier asked in annoyance. The Air Commander stood slowly, a smirk plastered on his face.

"I'll admit, I'm impressed. I calculated that you could only handle three shots from the Fusion Cannon, but you managed five before it happened," Starscream mocked.

"What are you talking about?" Ramjet yelled. He looked down at the cannon and his jaw dropped at the sight. His right arm began to heat up at an alarming rate and warnings of detonation flashed across his vision. With a cry of distress, Ramjet unclasped and disconnected the weapon from his arm and threw it to the ground.

"You tampered with the cannon! Screamer, you cheated!" he accused.

"You got careless, Ramjet. The Fusion Cannon energy core can't take in more atoms than you intend to use in the nuclear fusion that takes place to build the power to fire it. You have no idea to counteract that either, do you? If you had waited a second longer to remove the Fusion Cannon, it, along with your arm at the very least, would have exploded," Starscream laughed. Ramjet growled. The spectators were in awe.

"I can still beat you! I still have all my limbs! You're losing Energon fast! All I have to do is wait you out!" Ramjet teased. Quicker than he realized, the white Conehead was sliding to a stop on the barren ground that was their arena. Starscream had punched him in the face again with speed Ramjet didn't know he possessed. The Decepticon audience sat in shocked silence. Megatron smirked at his Second.

"You can't win! It doesn't matter how quick you are! You're badly injured!" Ramjet shouted as he stood. The wingless Seeker shot him a deadly smirk. Energon trailed to his chin from lip components. It was dripping from the remainder of his left arm. It dripped on the ground from his clipped wings. And yet he remained standing.

"I won't lose. I can't lose!" Starscream shouted. Ramjet found himself on the ground again. He could feel Starscream's weight on his back and one of his arms was twisted back behind him.

"How badly do you want to win, Ramjet?" Starscream whispered icily.

"You can't intimidate me," he snarled as he attempted to free his arm from the Air Commander's surprisingly iron grip.

"Are you willing to lose an arm to win?" he asked lightly. The Decepticon Second in Command gave his opponent no chance to answer. He pulled the arm back with all his might until cables snapped and it finally disconnected from the rest of Ramjet's body. He laughed wickedly and tossed the arm aside as the Conehead screamed.

"What about your wings? Are you willing to lose them too?" he asked.

"No! Starscream please, I beg you!" Ramjet pleaded. Starscream stepped back from his opponent.

"Do you surrender?" he asked.

"Like I would surrender to the likes of you!" Ramjet snapped as he rolled over and leapt to his feet, connecting a punch to Starscream's gut with his forward momentum. The Air Commander doubled over and Ramjet kicked him in the face. Starscream sailed through the air and slid to a halt a short distance away from his opponent. The fallen flier looked to his right and saw the abandoned Fusion Cannon- perfect. He pulled himself to his knees and crawled toward the weapon. Ramjet walked toward the Seeker whose back was turned to him as he crawled. He failed to notice that Starscream stopped and picked something up. As quickly as he could, the Air Commander attached the Fusion Cannon to his injured arm. He stood and spun around quickly. Using his right arm to steady the weapon, Starscream pointed the Fusion Cannon at Ramjet's chest. The Conehead didn't know what to do.

"It was going to explode! It's unstable, you said so yourself!" shouted the Conehead.

"Yes, it _was_, but I know how to fix such a problem. Unlike you, I know exactly how this weapon works, so I know how to regulate the cannon's energy levels," gloated the Air Commander.

"You don't have enough energy to fire it," Ramjet challenged. He heard the soft whir of the weapon gathering power and took a step back.

"Are you sure about that?" Starscream smirked.

"You wouldn't kill me!" Ramjet yelled desperately. The crowd of Decepticons leaned in anxiously.

"You took my arm and both my wings! Do you honestly think I would hesitate to fire?" the Seeker countered.

"No, don't do it, Commander Starscream," he pleaded softly, raising his hands in surrender. He hoped sucking up would increase his chances of survival.

"Yield to me, Ramjet," Starscream ordered haughtily. There was a defiant pause.

"Unlike you, I know how this weapon works and am more than capable of using its _full_ power," the Air Commander stated arrogantly. The audience gasped.

"F-Full power?" Ramjet sputtered.

"Yes, you were only using a fraction of its potential, fool. But remember, I designed it. I know this weapon inside and out!"

"No, no, you're cheating!" Ramjet sputtered, "You were only supposed to use one weapon, and this is weapon number two! You're disqualified!"

"Lord Megatron's exact words on the matter were 'You are both allowed to have one weapon' and I am not breaking that rule. I have one weapon with me. My Null Ray is on the ground, useless."

"Starscream, please, don't shoot me! I surrender, alright, I surrender to you!"

Soundwave stepped forward and spoke, "Duel: Complete. Victor: Starscream," he declared. The Decepticons cheered and rushed down to the two combatants. Ramjet glared at Starscream, who opened his mouth to speak.

"You were right, Ramjet. I didn't have enough energy to fire a shot," he laughed as he fell to the ground in his exhaustion. He offlined his optics, fully expecting to fall into stasis lock. Skywarp appeared next to him, worry written all over his face.

"Screamer, Screamer! Wake up! Speak to me!" he demanded while shaking his leader roughly. Starscream's optics flickered back to life at the sound of his troubled trine mate.

"Oh Primus! I thought you were dead!" Skywarp shouted.

"Ramjet could never kill me," Starscream whispered hoarsely as he his body attempted to force him into stasis lock.

"Man, you were so brave! And so cool!" Skywarp praised.

"That is the last time I ever do something _brave_," the Air Commander replied angrily.  
Megatron appeared in Starscream's field of view and collected the Seeker in his arms.

"Stasis lock. Now," the gun-former ordered, leaving no room for argument. Starscream gladly complied with the Lord's orders for once. Ramjet simply stared in shock. Starscream had tricked him.

"Skywarp, teleport us to Hook. He's already waiting," Megatron ordered. Skywarp nodded. He shared a brief look with his bondmate before placing a hand on the Decepticon Commander's shoulder and warping.

* * *

Starscream's optics flickered on and he instantly regretted coming online. He moaned in pain and tried to sit up. He was too sore. With a sigh, he relaxed and stared at the ceiling. The lights were off, and he assumed everyone was in recharge for the night. He went over the events of his duel, but drew a blank as to the outcome. He remembered grabbing the Fusion Cannon and trying to bluff his way to victory, but everything past that was hard to recall. Knowing that he remained standing for far longer than he should have kept his lack of memories from being surprising. He was certain the overwhelming loss of Energon had something to do with it as well.

"Oh, Primus, I must have offlined before I could finish him," he moaned aloud.

"Do you talk to yourself often?" he heard a voice ask. He knew who it was but couldn't pinpoint the precise location of his leader. He didn't exactly care though. Starscream didn't feel up to talking about his failure. Losing his position as Air Commander and Second in Command of the Decepticon army was worse than death to him. He didn't want to hear the taunts from Ramjet, who was now his commanding officer. An exasperated sigh escaped his lip components. Starscream waited for Megatron to approach and berate him. He heard Megatron's footsteps getting closer. He offlined his optics.

"I know you're awake, so why would you fake it?" Megatron asked from next to the berth.

"I'm not faking it. I'm trying to relax," he answered, trying to sound angry but failing. Part of him hoped the silver mech would finish him off right then and there, though he suppressed such a feeling. Being dead wouldn't help with much of anything.

"It took you a while to wake up this time. You had your trine mates worried," the gun-former said.

"How long have I been offline?" he wondered.

"Almost two full Earth days. Hook said you were supposed to be out for two more, but it seems he was wrong," Megatron replied.

"Is Ramjet enjoying his new power? Did he have a ceremony and cape?" Starscream asked indignantly.

"What does he have to celebrate?" Megatron asked. Clearly Starscream had forgotten the outcome of the battle.

"You know very well what he has to celebrate. You should have made him kill me. I don't want to live under that slag head's command," he grumbled.

"Then it's a good thing he didn't win," the gun-former stated.

"What? I certainly don't remember winning. Don't tell me it was a draw! I lost an arm and my wings in that fight, and I didn't do it just to tie!" the Seeker complained.

"You don't remember winning?" Megatron questioned.

"No," the flier answered pathetically.

"You did. You bluffed your way to victory, in true Starscream form," the silver mech laughed. Starscream huffed moodily.

"At least I got to tear his arm off," the Air Commander grumbled. He felt a servo rest on his reconstructed left arm. Megatron ran his hand along the repaired limb.

"How long had you been working on that Fusion Cannon," the Decepticon Commander asked.

"I started building it while still on Cybertron, but I didn't have much time to work on it until we were reactivated here on Earth. I worked on it between missions. I don't know how that idiot Ramjet managed to break into my quarters. When I find out who helped him, I'll send that mech to the Pit. Now I have to recalibrate the energy output and fix the targeting array since that fool decided to force the components on himself," the Seeker grumbled, more to himself than Megatron.

"Do you intend to start using a Fusion Cannon in combat?" the gun-former asked, hoping to get his Second to admit it was a gift for his leader.

"Of course not! It would slow me down and improperly distribute weight to one side. I prefer my Null Rays," Starscream said arrogantly, turning his head away from his leader as if to snub the very idea physically.

"Then why did you build it?" Megatron asked, a smirk forming on his face.

"I built it to uh. Well, nuclear fusion has always interested me, and I just uh. I built it for the purpose of my studies," he stuttered. Megatron ran a hand across the Seeker's wing.

"Is that so?" he asked lightly. The gun-former played with the tip of his Second's wing gently. The mech shuddered on his medical berth.

"Sort of," Starscream replied. His air intakes hitched.

"Sort of? What else did you build it for then?" Megatron asked, continuing to administer light touches to his Second's wing.

"It-it, I uh, made it as sort of a, you know, surprise," the flier offered weakly, feeling incredibly odd with the idea of telling his leader he built it for him. Of course, in his earlier years in the Decepticons, he had no issue with telling his leader such things or offering him gifts, but a lot had changed.

"A surprise for who?" the gun-former pressed. Starscream knew what his leader was trying to do. A small smirk appeared on his face, though Megatron couldn't see it. If the gun-former thought he could always gain the upper hand in such situations, he was about to be proven wrong. Starscream summoned his courage.

"It was a surprise for you, Lord Megatron," he purred. Megatron shuddered lightly when the words reached his audio receptors.

"For me, you say? I suppose I'll have to give you something in return then," he grinned roguishly. Without warning, he pulled the Seeker into his arms and lay on the medical berth. Situated this way, Megatron lay on his back on the berth, and Starscream lay on his stomach on top of Megatron. Starscream groaned in pain. The gun-former ran his hands along the Seeker's form, changing the groans from those of pain to those of pleasure. The flier seemed content to just lay there and let his leader rub the residual pain away.

"You knew Ramjet didn't know how to use that Fusion Cannon from the start. You didn't even bother fighting him much until the end," Megatron observed.

"I wanted his own stupidity to beat him, to teach him a lesson," Starscream replied.

"You made a good show of it. He's been pouting in his quarters since he lost, though he claims you cheated and got lucky," the gun-former said lightly, still exploring the Seeker's form.

"He's the one that stole that weapon from my quarters, so if anyone cheated, it's him. I don't know how that moron managed to get in there though, he must have had Thrust he-," he realized what he was saying, "Thrust! I can't believe he'd help Ramjet! I'm going to kill him!"

Starscream struggled to get up to carry out the task of punishing Thrust, but Megatron held onto him firmly.

"You can confront him later. You need to recover from your battle. I'm curious about your fight though," the Decepticon Commander stated. His Second seemed to settle down.

"Why did you let Ramjet injure you to such a great extent? Even after he took an arm and both your wings, you were able to move so fast that barely any of the others could keep up. Why didn't you crush him quickly if you possess such speed? Not only that, but it seems you've hidden yet another of your talents from me, Starscream," Megatron remarked. The slight hitch in the Seeker's intakes brought a smirk to the Lord's face.

"I simply wanted to show Ramjet that even when injured like that, I can beat his sorry aft. And as for my hidden talent, I was saving it for later, for _you_," Starscream hissed. Megatron chuckled at the rambunctious Seeker.

"Do you really suppose it's wise to admit such things when I have you in my grasp?" Megatron questioned. Starscream let his own chuckle escape.

"You knew that yourself the second Ramjet and I began fighting hand to hand. It isn't news to anyone in this room," Starscream snapped, though he wisely chose to remain still in his leader's hold. Megatron smirked and his grip tightened. The Seeker hissed in pain.

"Yes, well, even if you had managed to hide such combat skills from me until confronting me, it wouldn't have made a difference. You were obviously trained by someone who treats fighting as an art, but all your precision, form, and flow will prove useless against someone like me, who fights off instinct. Just as water can't flow uphill, you can never reach my level and defeat me," Megatron mocked.

"You forget, _mighty _leader, that water doesn't attempt to flow uphill. Instead, it simply wears the hill down so that it may simply flow _over _it," Starscream chided. The tyrant's grip tightened further, earning him a moan of pain from his subordinate.

"Very clever, Starscream, but words will only get you so far. Remember that. And remember who is in control here," the gun-former ordered. His grip relaxed and Starscream mentally sighed in relief. He had convinced himself that his mouth had gotten him into trouble again, but it seemed Megatron was feeling rather merciful. That, or he didn't want to waste more parts on another repair right after this most recent one. Starscream's silence bored Megatron, so he decided to strike up conversation once more. After all, he needed to confront his Second about the memory files he saw.

"You put on quite an enjoyable show. You made Ramjet look as graceless as ever," he began, hoping to break the ice with a compliment.

"Ramjet doesn't need my assistance to look foolish. And any show I put on is enjoyable," Starscream replied, not amused with his leader's change in tactics. Perhaps if his body wasn't so sore, he'd attempt to escape to his quarters.

Another silence overtook the two. The Air Commander drifted off on random trains of thought, letting his processor run rampant. He thought over his fight with Ramjet. That stupid Conehead ruined everything. He didn't intend to let Megatron know of his close combat skills, nor did he intend to give Megatron the Fusion Cannon. Now the gun-former would take it if it wasn't offered to him.

Starscream frowned. He wouldn't have even finished the cannon the day before his duel with Ramjet if he hadn't been so angry. He _always _tinkered with things in his workshop when angry- his CPU seemed to process things much more quickly when angry and it was a great way to relieve stress. He wouldn't have been so angry had Soundwave not poked around in his head where he didn't belong. Starscream's optic shutters opened as wide as they could. Soundwave! What had he been looking for? What did he find? What did _Megatron _want him to find? Figuring it was the best time to find out, Starscream shifted to lock optics with his leader, who he still lay on.

"Lord Megatron," he began formally, "What did you have Soundwave probe my mind for?"

The Decepticon Leader was surprised by the Seeker's straightforwardness. So that's what the flier had been pondering during their moment of silence.

"I asked him to show me why you've become so paranoid and more or less self-centered over the years," Megatron answered honestly.

"Paranoid and self-centered?" the flier asked in disbelief. He had expected the answer to be something less mental and more physical, like what his weaknesses were, what his latest plans to assume leadership were, or what other abilities had he been hiding.

"Yes, it seems that you think everyone is out to get you so you are constantly watching your back and doing whatever you can to make situations better for only yourself."

"Maybe it has something to do with the beatings I receive, or the lack of trust bestowed upon me. I have a good reason to watch my back! Everyone except my trine mates is out to get me! Ramjet is a perfect example! Besides, isn't this the attitude you wanted of your Decepticons?" Starscream cried, wriggling in his leader's grasp.

"Against my better judgment, I'll admit to you that the beatings weren't always necessary and were sometimes administered due to a misunderstanding," Megatron tried to remain calm but admitting he was wrong was difficult, "But I'm not out to get you, Starscream! I thought you were being insubordinate, and as a leader it was my duty to crush such insubordination in the presence of others who may have wanted to do the same. And I brought the mechs and femmes that are now the Decepticon army together under the banner of using their own strength to cure Cybertron of its backwards system- letting the weak rule while the strong suffer."

"The least you could have done was confirmed that I was being disobedient! The only reason I started acting insubordinate was because you accused me of it so regularly. I want to overthrow you because only a leader as terrible as yourself would make the mistake of abusing his most valuable asset!" he cried, frustrated that his sore body couldn't break free from the gun-former's grasp.

"Quit squirming! I never had the intention of mistreating you, fool! I just didn't want anyone thinking I tolerated insubordination from my mechs! As leader of the Decepticons I cannot afford to appear weak, not even for a second! And don't flatter yourself, Starscream! I don't see what makes you think you're my most valuable asset!" Megatron shouted, gripping the Seeker tighter.

"Release me! I don't want to stay here and listen to this any longer! You chose me as your Second in Command! I thought that meant that you trusted me, that you respected me! But I was wrong! You've never cared about my opinion on this army, and you've never trusted my judgment, plans, or scientific abilities! And I didn't mean that _I _alone am your most valuable asset, I was talking about your _followers_! If you abuse them, who do you have left to rely on? Who will back your cause?" he shouted back, a variety of emotions leaking through without the Seeker's permission. Megatron growled angrily.

"I will not let you go, Starscream! You're not making this any easier on me! I came here with the intention of telling you that all those years of mistrust were a result of various misunderstandings! Do you remember the one time you mustered up the courage to present a plan to me? Well I shot it down because it was _good_. And the first time I ever struck you? I didn't know Bumblebee had taken one of your weapons and fired it at me! Then there was the Fusion Cannon upgrade you gave me. I didn't configure it with my targeting programs so when I fired, the shot was way off and hit you! Primus, even the day you saw me with Crossfire was a misunderstanding! That was the one and only time I ever did anything with that ridiculous mech and it was because I was drunk off my aft! Dear Primus, Starscream, do you honestly think I had no reason to keep you as my Second through all these years? How dare you even consider such a thing!" Megatron roared, locking optics with his bewildered Air Commander.

A large part of the gun-former's pride was wounded, not only from admitting fault to the last mech in existence that he wanted to, but from the sting of his Air Commander's words. _And I didn't mean that _I_ alone am your most valuable asset, I was talking about your _followers_! If you abuse them, who do you have left to rely on? Who will back your cause? _Megatron never expected any of Starscream's lectures to actually make sense. The tone of his Second's voice also bothered him greatly. The Seeker spoke with such emotion, and not just the normal rage that generally polluted his voice. There were other emotions present and one in particular bothered Megatron the most- pain. Not the kind of pain that he was used to hearing, but a kind that came from the spark, from something hidden deep down in the Seeker. Perhaps he should have had Soundwave show him all of Starscream's memories, though that would have taken quite a lot of time.

"All misunderstandings?" Starscream whispered. He had just managed to make to Megatron, the Decepticon Commander, admit he was in the wrong on multiple occasions. It was obvious that the things he mentioned were the memories Soundwave had shown him. The tightness of the gun-former's grasp was beyond painful.

"M-Megatron, you're hurting m-me," the jet-former rasped quietly. The sudden change in the Seeker's tone startled Megatron. He released his hold, suddenly realizing just how much he had said. He wanted nothing more than to push Starscream off and run to his quarters, but he couldn't back out now, his pride wouldn't allow it.

"Yes, misunderstandings," he stated quietly. Starscream stared at him silently. Megatron could tell that the Seeker was running through a variety of scenarios in his head. The gun-former pulled the flier close, bored with his silence.

The gun-former tried to calm his own thoughts, but he couldn't rein all of them in. Wooing Starscream wouldn't be nearly as easy as he first believed. Now that the Seeker had seemingly recovered from the initial shock of his leader's advances, he was back to his snarky, cynical self, which could only cause the gun-former problems. His advantage was lost. Forcing the remainder of such thoughts from his mind, Megatron let his gaze travel back to his Second.

"Rest, Starscream," he ordered.

"What if the others come in when they wake?" Starscream asked. It was clear that he was concerned about his image.

"I said rest. That was an order," Megatron said lightly. Starscream smirked and rested his helm against the gun-former. He fell into recharge quicker than he wanted to. Megatron offlined his optics but didn't fall into recharge. Had he made the right choice when he told Starscream about everything? Should he have just blamed it all on the flier instead? No, he had made the decision to probe the Seeker's mind and fix things, and he didn't go back on a big decision like that. When morning came, he would try to prove to his Second that he was valued, as long as it didn't compromise his pride. Just before he too fell into recharge, Megatron hoped someone would find him with his Second in such a compromising position. He smirked at the thought.

* * *

When morning came, Hook walked in to check up on his remaining patient. Ramjet had been allowed out one Earth day earlier and the Constructicons' attention had been focused on the Air Commander. As he stepped through the door, he switched on the lights and almost passed out at the sight. The First and Second in Command of the Decepticon forces were in recharge together on the same berth. Starscream lay atop Megatron, his expression the most peaceful it had been in a while. The same could be said for Megatron. Hook remained frozen in shock. Soon Starscream began to stir. He pulled himself off his leader, who didn't budge. Apparently the gun-former was a heavy sleeper. The Seeker locked optics with the medic, who recovered from his stupor.

"How are you feeling, Starscream?" he asked as evenly as he could. The Air Commander adjusted his wings as the Constructicon spoke.

"I'm fine. Your repairs are sufficient," the jet-former replied. Hook huffed indignantly. The repairs looked to be _more _than sufficient in his opinion.

"Where is my Fusion Cannon?" Starscream asked.

"Over there," the medic answered, pointing to an unused medical berth in the corner.

"Where are your tools?" the flier asked. Hook shuffled over to a shelf and grabbed a toolbox, which he offered to the demanding flier.

The Seeker walked over to his weapon. The Constructicon stared after him, dumbfounded. Starscream set the toolbox down and picked the Fusion Cannon up instead. Hook watched the flier carefully. Starscream removed a few panels and began working. The Constructicon had to credit the scientist jet-former. He was certainly meticulous and lithe with his hands. He could probably be a great medic if he had the knowhow.

Sudden movement from the other side of the Medical Bay caught Hook's attention. Megatron was stirring. When the gun-former's optics came online, he seemed confused. He sat up and looked around, finally calming when he caught sight of Starscream in the corner of the room. The Decepticon Commander approached the Seeker.

"What are you doing?" Megatron asked.

"Fixing the Fusion Cannon," Starscream replied.

"Excellent work, Starscream," the gun-former praised. He placed a hand on one of the Seeker's wings and caressed it lightly. The flier shivered in response.

"You're in a good mood today," Starscream stated. Megatron didn't reply, more content with playing with the wing. The Seeker sighed in pleasure but stopped the gun-former. Megatron looked at him carefully. Starscream turned and walked to Hook, handing him the toolbox. The Constructicon took it and scurried from the Medical Bay, not even bothering to put the toolbox in its rightful place. The flier smirked and turned his attention back to Megatron.

"Try it," he offered. Megatron knew what he meant. He removed his current Fusion Cannon and replaced it with the newer model. It was much lighter. He took a moment to allow his targeting programs to adjust to the change. Starscream had done a marvelous job. Megatron could practically feel the extra power.

"Let's go," the gun-former stated suddenly.

"Go where, Megatron?" Starscream asked.

"Come with me," was all the gun-former said. He walked toward the exit, grabbing Starscream's hand and pulling him along. The Seeker stumbled along behind his leader. The pair didn't pass a single Decepticon on their way out of the base. They arrived at the same place Starscream's duel took place.

Before the gun-former began firing, he made certain that his Second stood behind him. Starscream almost smiled at the thought. The Decepticon Commander fired multiple shots, all at different power levels. He charged the cannon to full power and blasted the bluff of a nearby plateau. When the dust cleared, the massive rock formation was no more. Megatron smirked with satisfaction.

"This is quite the toy you've made me, Starscream," he complimented. He turned to face the Air Commander, who flinched. The gun-former frowned. Did the flier expect him to shoot? He approached the Seeker slowly. When he got close, Megatron grabbed Starscream's chin and tilted his head up. Lip components met in a heated kiss, but soon the silver mech soon broke the kiss to stare down at his Second and speak.

"How about a more hands on demonstration?" he smirked. Starscream was about to ask what he meant when Megatron transformed. The flier caught his leader, understanding what he meant. He smirked, running his along the length of the gun before aiming and firing at the various rock formations. Starscream couldn't help but admire his own handiwork. After a few more shots, Megatron transformed back. He smirked devilishly at his Second.

"It looks like your weapon is a success," he praised, his voice husky.

"It better be, I spent far too many hours on it," Starscream grumbled. Megatron approached the flier again, engaging in another kiss. They broke apart when a gasp reached their audio receptors. The sound came from above. Starscream dreaded looking up, but Megatron had no issue looking to see who had interrupted them.

"Skyfire!" he yelled angrily. The shuttle-former landed across from them.

"Don't bother calling the Autobots for backup!" Megatron growled.

"I didn't plan on it. I just came to retrieve what's mine. You understand, don't you Megatron?" Skyfire asked, smiling.

"What belongs to you?" the gun-former questioned in irritation.

"Yes, my little Screamer. It seems you've taken him from me when he doesn't belong to you," the Autobot replied, gentle smile never leaving his face. Starscream growled in anger.

"Starscream doesn't belong to you, Skyfire!" Megatron roared. To prove a point, he grabbed the Seeker around the waist and pulled him in for a deep kiss, to which the flier eagerly responded. Skyfire cried out.

"No! Don't you touch him, you monster! He deserves better than you!" the shuttle-former shouted. Megatron broke the kiss with his Second but didn't release him.

"He doesn't want to join you or the Autobots. Long ago, he pledged his undying loyalty to the Decepticons, to me!" the gun-former bellowed. Starscream looked up at his leader. The gun-former rushed Skyfire. They engaged in hand to hand combat, but Starscream had his worries. Megatron had spent so much energy already during their weapon test. He didn't want to take any chances. He opened his com link.

"Skywarp, wake up!"

There was a pause before anyone responded.

(Ugh, what is it, Screamer?)

"This is important, Warp. I need you to do something for me."

(What is it?)

"I'm going to give you a set of coordinates. I want you to warp there, grab Skyfire, and warp him anywhere that isn't close to the coordinates I give you. I'll explain in detail later."

(Alright, Screamer, I'll be waiting for those coordinates.)

Starscream watched the fight carefully, waiting until Skyfire stood alone. He and Megatron began clashing again and soon separated, both staring one another down for a moment.

"You seem weak, Megatron! Are you intimidated by my will to do anything to get my Starscream back?" the shuttle-former asked. Megatron scoffed.

"Get him _back_? He never belonged to you!" Megatron declared.

Starscream sent coordinates to his trine mate. The gun-former raised his Fusion Cannon and tried to charge it. He could tell his energy was low but didn't care. He loathed Skyfire and wanted to deactivate him badly. Out of nowhere, Skywarp appeared behind Skyfire, placing a hand on him. They both vanished.

"What is the meaning of this?" Megatron roared.

"Lord Megatron!" Starscream began, "I ordered Skywarp to teleport Skyfire to a distant location because you are so low on energy."

"How dare you interfere with my fight!" the gun-former yelled, marching over to his Second. Starscream took a few steps back in fright.

"You've used too much energy! You couldn't have kept fighting him! I did what I thought was best, and Skyfire isn't dead! You can fight him another day, when your energy is back, so it's fair!" the flier tried to argue. Megatron simply glared at him.

"Please, trust me. I didn't do it for any reason other than to help you," the Air Commander assured, holding up his hands in a gesture of surrender. The gun-former looked at his Second's face, noting the fear and sincerity he found there. He sighed. He had been trying to make progress with the flier, but here he was threatening him again. Starscream noticed the change in his leader's demeanor and took a step toward him. Megatron's knees went weak beneath him, and he fell onto his Second. The gun-former knocked the Seeker on his aft.

Skywarp reappeared, his shoulder singed from the brief struggle he had with Skyfire. He saw Megatron lying in Starscream's lap. The violet jet-former landed next to his leaders.

"Warp, go get some Energon cubes. Megatron is low on energy," Starscream stated evenly. Skywarp didn't bother asking. He disappeared in a flash.

Megatron found the Seeker's lap to his liking. Skywarp returned shortly after with three Energon cubes in tow. He placed them near his trine leader before shooting Starscream a "We'll talk later" look and warping back to the base. The Air Commander grabbed a cube and held it up to his leader's lips. Megatron drank from it greedily, quickly downing its contents. Starscream repeated the process twice more. The gun-former remained in his Second's lap, even after the Energon recharged his systems.

"How are you feeling?" Starscream asked cautiously.

"I'm fine," Megatron replied shortly. The Seeker frowned but didn't say anything further. He had been more than flattered when Megatron jumped to defend him, but now there was a heavy silence hanging in the air.

A faint whirring sound buzzed in the two mechs' audio receptors, which quickly increased in volume. The two Decepticons quickly jumped to their feet.

"More Autobots?" Megatron wondered aloud.

"No, it sounds like…" Starscream trailed off.

"Like what?" the gun-former asked impatiently.

"Like Seekers," the flier said breathlessly. Small dots appeared on the horizon, quickly growing in size. Seven forms synchronously soared through the sky, swooping low to dramatically transform and land before the two Decepticons.


	10. Secret

This chapter and the one that will follow it were definitely the hardest to write so far, not only because I'm introducing original characters but because this is the chapter that lays the groundwork for a plot explosion. Originally, this chapter and the one after it were going to be one big chapter, but I felt better splitting them up. I don't know how many times I thought I was happy with a portion of this, only to go back and completely rewrite it. That's probably why this chapter took so long to write. But now the fun begins.

Text in parenthesis is someone speaking over the com link.

All text that is italicized in bulk is a flashback.

Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers and don't get anything but personal entertainment from writing this.

Enjoy.

* * *

**Chapter 9: Secret**

"Do you know them?" Megatron asked lowly. The shocked look on his Second's face gave the answer the flier could not. Starscream had been right, they were all Seekers, most of whom looked similar to Starscream himself but with bulkier builds. Though, in the grand scheme of things, Seekers all tended to look the same anyway, so Megatron disregarded that train of thought.

The largest of the Seeker group stepped forward. He was colored a magnificent golden yellow on his chest, hips, feet, and from the elbow down on his arms. The rest was a finely polished white that reflected the yellow glow of the sun, giving him an ethereal appearance. His helm looked like a golden crown set atop his head. One of the most eye-catching features of this particular Seeker was his wide, proud wings that sat perked up high and arrogant on his back. His faceplate contrasted with the rest of his body, being charcoal black, with two sizzling amber optics. He and the other mechs behind him had bodies with sharper edges, contrasting noticeably against the streamline curves of the Air Commander and his trine Megatron was accustomed to seeing. These differences were quickly attributed to the fact that these new Seekers were from Cybertron and had not taken an Earth alt-form. However, that same fundamental Seeker build still showed through.

The golden mech approached Starscream as if Megatron didn't even exist. The Decepticon Commander frowned indignantly. Didn't that fool know who he was? Close up, the mech seemed more aged and worn than his fine paint job and polish let on. This Seeker's appearance struck Megatron as familiar all of a sudden, but he couldn't recall where he had seen him. It must have been long ago, he surmised.

"Starscream, I knew we would find you here on Earth," the large Seeker began, his voice deep and charismatic, "I had heard that you joined the Decepticons and crashed on some distant planet with them. It took a lot of searching, but eventually we thought to check this planet, seeing how it was once one a part of your scientific exploits. I thought back to you and your partner Skyfire and knew you would be here."

The six fliers behind him seemed disinterested and remained silent, not even bothering to look at Megatron or Starscream. The large mech looked down his nose at the Decepticon Second in Command expectantly. Starscream hesitated, a look of utter confusion on his faceplate. His optics darted back and forth between the mech speaking to him and the others in the background. Feeling incredibly lost, Megatron could only stand and stare, a frown on his face to mask his lack of understanding. Finally, Starscream spoke.

"You're dead!" he shouted, pointing an accusatory finger at the golden flier then sweeping his hand across to point at the other fliers, "You died in the Riots of Vos before the war! You and almost all my brothers! Only Shootingstar and Nightwing weren't among the bodies! I saw it! Thundercracker, Stormshadow, and I saw it!"

Megatron perked up at the mention of the riots. For years, he assumed Starscream had been away on some scientific expedition during that time- almost all of the other survivors had been away from the city. How else would the Seeker have survived, when almost all the citizens of Vos had been eradicated in those riots? And then there was Thundercracker, who was apparently with Starscream and that mech that Megatron had seen in his Second's memory files. Megatron had assumed that the blue Seeker had been with his violet companion. After all, Skywarp was the only flier who had ever brought up the riots, and he always bragged that he simply teleported away with a friends. As far as Megatron knew, Skywarp and Thundercracker were inseparable since a very young age. But now everything Megatron thought he knew about the Riots of Vos proved to be completely inaccurate. If Starscream ever found a reason to investigate the riots, he could easily discover Megatron's involvement, which would completely devastate any progress the gun-former had made. This visitor was stirring up trouble when he was supposed to be dead.

Starscream shook almost imperceptibly, but Megatron picked up on it almost immediately. His Second feared their visitors- another reason to get them off the planet as soon as possible.

"Dead? Starscream, don't be so foolish. Do you really think that I could possibly be killed in something as silly as a riot? Now, quit being so ridiculous and give your creator a proper greeting," the mech replied calmly, a touch of malice just below the surface. Megatron's frown deepened at this exchange. This mech was Starscream's creator? This created ever more problems. Starscream took a frightened step back before he managed to steel his resolve.

"I saw it happen! I was with Thundercracker and Stormshadow, and we came across your bodies! Someone went out of his way to go to the palace to attack our family and all but two of you died just outside the gates!" Starscream yelled.

"You were mistaken. Surely you were far too frightened to think clearly, let alone be sure of what you saw," the mech stepped forward and grabbed Starscream by the arm, pulling him close to whisper, "I am attempting to be cordial in front of your comrade over there. I can't imagine that you'd want to stir up trouble, especially since you are outnumbered, seven to two. Even a fool such as you should understand that anything but hospitality will be unwelcomed at this time."

He released his offspring's arm with a noticeable shove and took a few steps back. Megatron glanced back and forth between the two, unsure of what exactly to make of the situation. He still couldn't fully take in the fact that this golden Seeker was one of his Second's creators.

"Where is Skyfire?" the mech asked. Megatron growled lowly, becoming frustrated at being ignored. Starscream looked at him briefly before returning his gaze to his creator.

"Had you been _alive _after the Riots of Vos, you would know that he was lost on an expedition we went on, right before I left the Science Academy, only a few years after the riots," Starscream snapped. His creator frowned and clenched his fists, a motion that had Starscream taking an involuntary step backward.

"But he is not dead," the mech replied casually.

"How do you know that?"

"I didn't, until just now. Is he staying with the Decepticons? I need to have a word with him."

"Skyfire is a traitor, and he's _certainly_ not here with the Decepticons."

It became incredibly apparent that the golden Seeker could barely restrain his anger. He shook slightly with rage, doing all he could to keep from striking his son. After all, he said he was trying to be cordial. Megatron briefly mused that Starscream received his short temper from this creator. The other fliers finally took to watching, all with curious amber optics.

"Well then, I suppose we'll have to take refuge here until we can find him," the golden flier replied, his voice somehow calm despite his obvious anger.

"Why do you need to find him so badly?"

"Since this ridiculous war has torn Cybertron apart, we have been forced to find other places to take residence. We Seekers have managed to stake a claim on nearby worlds. We have created a new Vos where we can live as neutrals again. We don't need these foolish Autobots_ or_ Decepticons. I plan on finding Skyfire on this world and bringing him with us. He'll make a fine bondmate for you and will hopefully correct that disgraceful attitude of yours," he turned and finally acknowledged Megatron, who was more than ready to strike this arrogant, problem causing visitor, "I assume you can provide us with quarters and Energon for the next few days."

"For strangers? You may be related to Starscream, but that doesn't mean _my _doors are suddenly wide open. I am Lord Megatron, and this is _my _base," Megatron growled, doing all he could to rein himself in. Starscream eyed his leader warily and fought the urge to yell. He and Megatron exchanged glances, but Megatron couldn't hold his Second's gaze for very long. Instead, he redirected his gaze back to his visitors. The golden Seeker frowned but prepared to reply.

"Then we shall introduce ourselves. I am the Grand Seeker of Vos, _Lord _Suncaller. Introduce yourselves, my sons," Suncaller ordered calmly. The remaining unidentified Seekers stood in a line ordered in color from orange to purple, their faceplates becoming gradually darker. As they arranged themselves and prepared for introductions, Megatron felt his processor stall momentarily. _This _was the Suncaller from Starscream's memory files? Now he had a face to match the memories. He scowled as movement captured his attention.

The first son stepped forward, his body build a replica of Suncaller's but colored orange instead of gold. He didn't quite match the height of his creator, but he was the closest of all the Seekers.

"I am the oldest son of Suncaller, and my name is Sunchaser," he said, his voice deep like his creator's, but lacking that fluid charisma his creator displayed. Sunchaser stepped back in line slowly and the second of the six stepped forward, painted a yellow-green. He was a head shorter than Sunchaser, and his helm more closely resembled Starscream's than Suncaller's. This mech possessed a long, narrow wingspan that was exclusive to him.

"I am Skyshot, kind Lord," he said politely, his voice soft, before quickly returning to his place in line. Megatron crossed his arms in disinterest as the introductions continued. The third mech didn't even bother stepping forward, certain that it was obvious he would be the next to speak. His body was almost an exact copy of his creator's in a deep green, but he had noticeably broader shoulders and looked bulkier than his brothers.

"Solarwind," the mech said gruffly before crossing his arms over his chest and shuttering his optics. The next son approached- another facsimile of Suncaller- painted teal.

"They call me Skyline," he smiled shyly before backing away, his head bowed. A navy blue flier quickly stole the attention of the gun-former. His body resembled Starscream's in that he was lithe and a little smaller than his brothers. One distinct feature he possessed was a visor he wore over his optics, which mirrored the amber glow of his family's optics.

"My name is Nightwing," he smirked, placing a hand on his cocked hip. After a brief pause, he took his place back in line, the smirk never leaving his lips. Starscream scowled and crossed his arms over his chassis as he shifted his weight to one side. Briefly, Megatron could feel the strange fluctuations in his Second's energy field, and he wondered if Starscream felt jealous of his showy blue brother. The thought brought a misleading smirk to his faceplate.

The final son stepped forward, painted a vibrant purple. This Seeker's helm looked just like Starscream's though it too was painted a lively purple. He was smaller than most of his brothers- save Nightwing and Starscream.

"I am the second youngest son of Suncaller, and my name is Shootingstar," he said calmly, his voice not quite as deep as his brothers', excluding Starscream who huffed angrily at his brothers' showmanship.

Shootingstar possessed the same calculating gaze Starscream sometimes displayed, which threw Megatron off for a moment when that gaze settled on him. For a moment, Megatron and Shootingstar stared one another down, and Megatron couldn't help but feel as though the small flier was asking a million questions with his optics. He could feel the disdain rolling off his Second when his youngest brother locked optics with him. Contempt was thick in the air. He took the time to note the two brothers- Nightwing and Shootingstar- that Starscream mentioned earlier. Those were the only two Starscream didn't seem at all threatened by, and they were the two that managed to escape the riots, according to Starscream.

"Welcome to my base of operations, the Nemesis, Seekers," Megatron stated stiffly before walking toward the base. Starscream followed close behind, an aura of disdain surrounding him. On the way, Megatron contacted his Communications Officer.

"Soundwave, come in."

(Yes, Lord Megatron.)

"Prepare seven rooms as quickly as you can. We have guests. They are Starscream's family, though not even Starscream seems to trust them. They could be trouble, so watch them closely when they arrive."

(As you command, Lord Megatron.)

As they continued to walk, Megatron spoke to his Second quietly.

"I take it you don't enjoy the company of your family. I didn't know the Grand Seeker was one of your creators," the gun-former said.

"There's a good reason for that," Starscream hissed, "Suncaller all but disowned me. I don't know why he even bothered to come find me."

He shook his head in anger, certain that if he didn't get away from his family soon, he would do something incredibly stupid. The anger he felt toward them failed to subside, and he knew it would only grow worse if he didn't escape soon. He frowned deeply before transforming into his jet mode and tearing through the sky back to the base. Megatron stared after his edgy Second, slightly bothered by the fact that he was now alone with seven strange Seekers. The fact that they were related to his treacherous Second made him uncomfortable having them all behind him. Suncaller broke the gun-former from his thoughts with mocking laughter as he caught up with him.

"I see he is still too pathetic to face his own problems," the large flier smirked, "He has never been very brave. What do you have a coward like him do in your army?"

"Starscream is my Second in Command and Air Commander," Megatron stated as professionally as he could manage. Rage simmered just below the surface, threatening to boil over and wreak havoc. He wasn't stupid, though. He wasn't about to let his anger cause him to make a tactical error. Seven Seekers spelled trouble if provoked, especially when outside with so much sky available to them. Stirring up trouble now would be in no way beneficial to the warlord- a fact he knew quite well. For the moment, he would play nice and be polite to the Seeker family, at least until he could get them into his confined base.

"You make a grave mistake offering Starscream such power. It will only lead to trouble, if it hasn't already," Suncaller growled.

"He has earned his position in my army," the gun-former replied, hoping to spite Suncaller without provoking him too greatly. The Grand Seeker grew more frustrated.

"It matters not. I'm taking Starscream back to New Vos with me in a few Earth days," the flier growled. Megatron frowned, thoroughly displeased with Starscream's creator.

"That decision is ultimately Starscream's," the Decepticon Commander informed, 'And mine,' he thought possessively. Suncaller simply frowned at the gun-former's attitude as they continued toward the Nemesis. Before they made it inside the base, Suncaller turned to his second youngest son.

"Shootingstar, scour the planet for Skyfire," the old flier ordered. Without question, the purple Seeker transformed and took off in the opposite direction. The remaining seven Cybertronians walked into the base, where they met Soundwave. After brief introductions, Megatron left the Seeker family with his Third in Command and went to find Starscream.

He walked briskly to his Second's quarters and found the door locked. He knocked strongly. A long moment passed before the door slid open. After seeing it was Megatron at the door, Starscream walked back inside without a word and returned to his workshop, leaving the door open for his leader. Megatron walked in slowly, making sure to lock the door behind him. He strode into his Second's workshop to see the flier working on his Null Rays- a sign of his simmering rage. The Seeker didn't say a word as Megatron approached him and wrapped his arms around him from behind.

"Your creator really does think you're useless," he laughed. Starscream didn't respond, much to Megatron's displeasure. Megaton took note of the flier's cold and silent demeanor.

"So I told him that I made you my Air Commander and Second in Command," he continued. Starscream still didn't respond. Megatron frowned deeply. He hated being ignored, especially by someone like Starscream. The gun-former spun the Seeker around in his arms, causing Starscream to drop the tools he held.

"What's your problem, Starscream?" he demanded.

"You want to know what my problem is? My creator, my _dead _creator, is here demanding that I join him and my brothers, most of whom are also _dead_, at this New Vos he's created! On top of all that, he wants me to bond with that traitor Skyfire! That old glitch can't let go of tradition, so he's created a new city of fliers and wants us all to go there and live under his sheltering rule. If I refuse to go, he'll force me! He'll do whatever it takes to make my life miserable! He shouldn't even be here, but somehow he's managed to go from a gray, sparkless corpse to living again! And all he wants to do is ruin my life all over again! That's what my problem is!" Starscream roared, flailing his arms in his anger. Megatron was slightly confused and surprisingly found himself unable to be angry at his Second's harsh outburst.

"Were you certain they were dead?" Megatron asked in a calm tone that surprised them both.

"Of course I was! Like I said, Thundercracker, Stormshadow, and I saw them. We were flying by and saw their corpses just outside the palace. We landed, and it was obvious that the bodies belonged to my family. The _only _ones that weren't present were Nightwing, Shootingstar, and their other creator, Jetstream. We checked each of the bodies and if their spark chambers weren't already completely destroyed, their sparks were _gone_. They were dead!" Starscream continued to yell.

"Perhaps they used doubles and it was the doubles you found outside the palace. That wasn't an uncommon practice, especially for royal families," Megatron argued, realizing at that moment that his Second in Command was technically royalty.

"I lived with them. I would know if they used doubles. Suncaller was far too arrogant to do something like that. He was so certain that he was the strongest mech to ever live. Not only that, but Suncaller's story doesn't match up at all. If he had still been alive, he would have known that Skyfire didn't make it back from Earth, especially since he paid so much attention to that traitor. I doubt he even knows I left the Science Academy to attend the War Academy," Starscream argued, taking a sharp intake before continuing, "He said he was _told _that I joined the Decepticons, but if he had been alive, he would have known immediately, because he _hated _the thought of any factions existing on Cybertron and would have done anything to keep the Seekers neutral. Not only that, but he claims that he searched for me for a little while, but then he _knew _that he would find me on Earth because he heard we crashed here. If that was true, he would have showed up thousands of years ago and missed us, or he would have found the Ark and either reactivated me or killed me for good because were trapped on that stupid Autobot ship for _four million _years."

"The main problem with that logic is the fact that your creator is alive, along with your brothers."

"Unfortunately, yes. But they died, I know they did. They're hiding something and I intend to find out what. Maybe Nightwing or Shootingstar would be willing to talk."

"Do you plan to go with them then?"

"Of course not! Suncaller is determined to have me bond to Skyfire, and I'd rather die than be forced to spend the rest of my life surrounded by Skyfire and my family."

"Suncaller plans to_ force_ you to bond with Skyfire?" Megatron asked. Suncaller had mentioned earlier that he wished for Starscream to bond with the shuttle-former, but he didn't assume he would try to force his son to do it. Not only that, but how would Suncaller even managed to force them to bond? The hateful glare the Seeker was shooting at the ground brought Megatron back his senses. He grabbed the flier close and planted a rough kiss on his lips.

"He won't be taking you anywhere," the gun-former said sternly after breaking the kiss. Starscream stared up at him, confused.

"You are _my_ Seeker, and they won't take you from me," Megatron continued. The Air Commander wasn't sure how to respond. Surely Megatron was just toying with him again. The flier didn't want to get his hopes up, but at the same time, he wanted to enjoy what Megatron was offering, especially when his leader sounded so possessive. He tried to become angry, but he just didn't have it in him. Instead, he blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

"He won't care that I'm your Air Commander and Second in Command. I'm his son, and he'll demand that my brothers help him take me away. He doesn't take no for an answer," the Seeker hissed, attempting to stick to his original plan to keep Megatron from seducing him any further and failing miserably.

"Then he'll have to go through me. I won't let them take you away after all the trouble I've gone through," Megatron declared. The Air Commander tried to hide his excitement. He reminded himself over and over in his head that Megatron was simply taking advantage of a weakness he discovered in his Second.

"I should finish my work," Starscream said resolutely, hoping his leader would leave him alone.

"I think your work can wait," the gun-former said roguishly. The flier became nervous. He continued to try to convince himself that Megatron was simply toying with him, but he simply couldn't come up with a reasonable escape plan.

"But I have a lot of work to do," he said pathetically.

"It can wait, Starscream," the gun-former purred, "I still have to pay you back for the present you've given me."

Megatron dipped his head and captured the Seeker's lips again. He pushed his Second against the wall roughly. The Seeker yelped at the abrasiveness of the touch, completely caught off guard by his leader's impatience. Regardless of that fact, a pleased moan escaped his lip components, urging the gun-former to continue. Starscream's resolve had evaporated in a matter of seconds. The heated sensations running through his circuits were unbelievable. He loved the way Megatron stroked his wings and worshipped his cockpit with his mouth and quickly found thinking clearly impossible. The gun-former chuckled as his every touch elicited a pleasant sound from his Second. Megatron stood back to his full height and looked down at the Air Commander.

"Starscream," he began. The flier looked up, his faceplate displaying the desire they both felt. Megatron had to stifle a groan.

"I want to te-," he was cut off by a banging at the door. Starscream snapped out of his stupor.

"Ignore it, there are more important things to attend to," the gun-former smirked. The knocking continued and someone spoke from outside.

"Starscream, I suggest you open your door. That boring fellow told me this was your room and I have no issues with blowing the door down," the voice warned. Starscream cursed quietly.

"Slag, it's Suncaller," he hissed, completely sobered by his creator's appearance.

"Stay in here," he ordered his leader, though he caught himself and looked pleadingly at Megatron, "Please."

The gun-former scoffed, clearly insulted. Starscream, against his better judgment, quickly wrapped his arms around the Decepticon Commander and placed a quick kiss on his lip components.

"He can't see you in here with me, you're not a flier," he apologized before dashing out of the workshop and to his main door. In his rush, he failed to lock his side room door, which slid closed casually, leaving Megatron inside to eavesdrop, which he did shamelessly. He could hear the door to the main room slide open.

"What took you so long to open the door?" Suncaller asked gruffly.

"I was in the other room working on something that required my full attention," Starscream answered truthfully. He hoped his creator wouldn't notice the labored sound of his air intakes trying to cool down his heated body.

"And what exactly were you working on?" Suncaller probed further.

"I usually work on weapons for the other Decepticons," the Air Commander answered evenly.

"So that Megatron fellow has you stuck down here working on weapons for him? How can you allow yourself to work under such a mech? He is a groundling and has no power over you, so why do you stay with these Decepticons?"

"I did not join the Decepticons because I wanted to work for a groundling, I joined because I believe in the Decepticon _cause_," Starscream declared. Suncaller frowned at his youngest son.

"It doesn't matter how much you respect his _cause_, because he is a silly groundling not worthy of even _your_ time. I suggest you start getting your belongings ready. We'll be leaving within the next couple of Earth days, after we find your future bondmate," the golden flier said forcefully.

"I am _not_ bonding with Skyfire! He's gone crazy! He tried to reprogram me not to long ago! I can't be with a mech like that, especially since I don't like Skyfire, let alone _love_ him," the Decepticon Second in Command declared defiantly. He received a backhand for his words that sent him stumbling backward.

"If I tell you to bond with him, you will bond with him, Starscream. The choice isn't yours to make, and _love_ has nothing to do with it. You need a mech that can teach you some manners! If what you say is actually true, at the very least Skyfire would be doing me a favor by reprogramming you. You've always been so disrespectful, something I'm certain you get from your _other _creator," Suncaller laughed.

"Don't you dare bring him up," Starscream growled, clenching his fists.

"Still a sore spot for you, I see. You have always had a weakness for him," Suncaller laughed.

"Shut up! He is no concern of yours!"

"You took it so hard when he died," Suncaller mocked.

"I said shut up!" Starscream shouted, "And he isn't dead!"

He lunged at the Grand Seeker, throwing a wild punch in his rage. The blow was easily deflected.

"Why do you have to be so defiant, Starscream?" Suncaller growled.

"Because there is no one in this room worthy of my time or respect," Starscream spat, his crimson optics burning fiercely.

"How dare you!" Suncaller shouted, grabbing his son by the throat, "You insolent wretch, I'll teach you some respect!"

He threw the smaller flier across the room with enough force to cause Starscream's body to leave a dent in the wall. The younger Seeker fell to his hands and knees on the floor as his air intakes hitched from the force of his creator's throw. He looked up at Suncaller and narrowed his optic shutters. He crouched low, preparing to attack, but the larger Seeker could easily read him.

"Do you want me to kill you, Starscream? Is that it? Do you intend to attack me until I finally finish it? Well, I won't be doing you any favors today, you worthless pair of wings. Get up!" Suncaller demanded. Starscream stood, a grim expression on his faceplate. A muffled clatter could be heard from the side room.

"Who's in there?" the Grand Seeker growled.

"No one," Starscream stated with effort.

"We'll see about that," Suncaller stated, walking over to the side room. The Air Commander jumped up and rushed to his creator's side as the door slid open to reveal no one inside. On the floor at the foot of the door was a pistol. Suncaller picked it up and turned it over in his hands, a look of disdain on his faceplate.

"Is this the sort of weaponry you build for these soldiers? It's so primitive," the golden flier mocked. He tossed the gun aside, which Starscream caught delicately. Absentmindedly, he ran a hand along the barrel. Suncaller looked around the room briefly, frowning at everything he saw.

"They have you stuck in this tiny, sad excuse for a laboratory making primitive, inefficient weapons? This place is ridiculous. I can't stand to be in your quarters a moment longer. Out of the way," Suncaller growled, pushing Starscream aside and marching toward the exit. He turned briefly and spoke.

"I meant what I said earlier. I suggest you start packing your things, _Starscream_." With that, the Grand Seeker left his son's quarters. Gun still in hand, the Air Commander rushed to the door and locked it. He set the gun in an open space on the floor before retreating to his berth, grumbling Cybertronian obscenities. Megatron transformed from his place on the floor, slightly disappointed that Starscream hadn't used him to shoot Suncaller. He did however recall the light strokes he received from his Second. Those were quite pleasant.

He found the Seeker sitting on his berth, grumbling angrily. The gun-former approached the angry flier and took a seat on his berth. He placed a servo on the Seeker's back and, when Starscream made no move to push him away, Megatron began tracing small circles on his wings. It calmed the Air Commander down a bit. However, Megatron's silence unnerved the flier. He didn't know what to expect next. Was Megatron trying to get him to relax so he could surprise him with the punishment he knew was coming? After all, Starscream had brought seven unruly Seekers to the Nemesis and saw fit to boss the Decepticon Commander around. Surely Megatron wouldn't let such transgression slide- Starscream had been punished for lesser grievances.

When no blows came, the Air Commander chanced a look at his leader, who had been staring at him the whole time. The flier felt incredibly nervous. The Decepticon Commander pulled his Second into his lap suddenly and nuzzled his neck. Starscream shuddered from a mix of surprise and the pleasant sensation.

"I told you before, he won't take you from me," Megatron said sternly, tightening his hold on the Seeker. Starscream was at a loss for words. The gun-former turned and placed Starscream on his back on the berth after a few moments of silence. The flier tensed slightly, so Megatron simply kissed all along the Seeker's face and neck, smirking when his Second relaxed. Megatron began running his hands up and down the flier's form, memorizing which spots earned him the most vocal response. He shifted so that he was on his knees above his Second, a leg on either side of the Seeker's form. He leaned down, bracing himself with a hand on either side of Starscream's helm. Then he captured the jet-former's lip components in a searing kiss. Starscream wrapped his arms around his leader's neck, moaning softly but shamelessly into the Decepticon Commander's mouth.

For the millionth time, Skywarp appeared in his trine leader's room. When he realized what he was interrupting, he almost left on the spot, but he remembered why he was there in the first place. Megatron noticed the intruder first and broke his kiss with Starscream. He growled lowly.

"For the love of Primus, Skywarp, what is it _this_ time?" he yelled. Skywarp could tell the Decepticon Commander was frustrated in a variety of ways.

"I'm sorry, but there's a serious situation at the entrance of the base that needs your attention," the teleport said quickly.

"What could possibly be that important?" the gun-former huffed. Starscream simply stared at his trine mate, slightly embarrassed. Megatron remained hovering over him, only turning his head to face Skywarp as he waited for a response.

"It's Starscream's family. One of them found Skyfire and now they're trying to get us to let him in here!" Skywarp warned. Starscream cringed- Shootingstar was an efficient tracker.

"What!" Starscream yelled. Megatron took that as his cue to get off the Seeker.

"Take me to them," the gun-former ordered. Skywarp nodded.

"I'm coming too!" the Air Commander demanded as he rushed from the berth to his wing mate. Megatron was not in the mood to argue with his Second. He grabbed the red and blue flier around the waist and pulled him close.

"Stay close to me," he ordered. Starscream simply nodded. Skywarp watched the scene carefully but said nothing. Instead, he placed a hand on the Decepticon Commander's shoulder and teleported to the entrance of the base. When Megatron appeared with his arm around Starscream, the others turned and stared. The gun-former shot them all a look, which scared them off. Megatron pushed Starscream gently behind him and approached Suncaller, who glared at him angrily.

"What are you doing with my son?" the Grand Seeker demanded. The mix of Decepticons and Starscream's family watched the scene silently.

"Wasn't it obvious?" Megatron said snidely.

"It looks like you think yourself worthy to lay your hands on a Seeker," Suncaller growled.

"You think I'm not worthy to touch Starscream?" Megatron asked calmly. A few Decepticons wondered what exactly their leader meant by that.

"You aren't a flier. You could never be worthy to touch any Seeker, even Starscream," the old flier declared. Starscream huffed and stepped around his leader, intending to give his creator a piece of his mind.

Sudden movement cut the conversation short. Shootingstar stepped forward, a taller figure following close behind him. Starscream narrowed his optic shutters and hissed angrily.

"You aren't welcome here, Skyfire!" he shouted. The other Decepticons readied their weapons in the Autobot's presence. Suncaller's sons, save Starscream, reacted in kind by pointing their weapons at the Decepticons.

"Now Starscream, that's no way to treat your future bondmate," the Grand Seeker laughed. Skyfire stepped forward, smiling at Starscream. The situation just begged for a wrong look or word.

"I was so happy when your brother found me, Starscream. We can finally be together," Skyfire said with excitement, ignoring the hostility around him. The Seeker frowned deeply, his most recent interaction with the shuttle-former still fresh in his mind.

"We aren't going to be together, Skyfire," the Air Commander roared. Everyone stiffened further.

"Suncaller has given me his blessing! We're going to be together," the shuttle-former said, more forcefully this time.

"I won't go with you! I don't care about New Vos and I don't care about you, Skyfire!" Starscream cried. Suncaller frowned and marched toward his son. The Decepticons weren't certain if they should fire. He raised his hand to strike the smaller Seeker down. Megatron could tell his Second was too distracted to react effectively. Megatron grabbed Suncaller by the wrist as he swung, causing the Grand Seeker to let out an indignant huff. The Decepticons and oldest sons of Suncaller stared one another down as the situation grew worse.

"How dare you!" Suncaller yelled. Megatron smirked.

"This is my soldier, and you are not allowed to lay a hand on him so long as he is under my command. If you have a problem with him, I suggest you take it up with me," the gun-former growled as fiercely as he could manage. The golden flier tore his hand from the Decepticon Commander's grasp.

"You have no right to touch me, groundling. I suggest you hand my son over and let us leave without question. Otherwise, I will have no other choice but to use force," Suncaller warned. The Grand Seeker knew the cramped area they stood in wouldn't allow for flight for many mechs, let alone room for them to maneuver. He hoped Megatron wouldn't call his bluff, but the look in the gun-former's optics mirrored his determination.

"Try me," Megatron challenged, "If you want to take Starscream from me, you'll have to kill me. I won't give him up without a fight."

The two mechs stared one another down for what seemed like an eternity before Suncaller finally lowered his gaze.

"My sons, let us leave for now. We'll come back for Starscream when the time is right. Skyfire, I expect you to accompany us," he said, narrowing his optic shutters at Megatron, "Groundling, I care not that you have this small force under your command. Starscream is _my_ creation and I will take him, one way or another," the large flier threatened before turning his back and leaving briskly. His sons and Skyfire left quickly behind him, though they did not turn their backs on the anxious Decepticon forces. Starscream relaxed noticeably. Megatron turned to his Second.

"We won't let him take you," he said lowly. The Decepticons looked at Starscream in shock.

"Starscream, your creator is very rude. Why did he come for you anyway?" Blitzwing asked curiously. Astrotrain walked in closer, clearly wondering the same thing. The others gathered around as well, crowding the Air Commander. They bombarded him with questions, most of which were unintelligible since everyone spoke at once. Starscream took a step back, suddenly feeling claustrophobic. He looked around frantically. Megatron noted his Second's flighty movements and knew what was coming. He approached the flier and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Starscream, you need to calm down," Megatron said quietly. The Seeker gripped his helm in his hands and shook his head.

"Leave me alone!" he screeched, shaking the hand from his shoulder, transforming into his jet mode, and tearing through the base away from the crowd. They all assumed he was throwing yet another fit and just going to his quarters to calm down.

Starscream flew into a deep, dark corner of the base, transforming back into his bipedal mode when he reached a dusted over storage closet. The Seeker entered in the code for the lock, stepped inside, and locked the door behind him. Then found a clear spot on the floor to lie on and forced himself into recharge, unwilling to think about the mess that was currently his life. The rest of the Decepticons forces went about their daily routines. Megatron ordered Soundwave to take special care in monitoring the area for Starscream's family.

* * *

When night fell and most of the Decepticons were off to recharge, Megatron walked briskly to the control room. He put up the strongest mental barriers he could manage before approaching his Communications Officer.

"Soundwave," he began, "Do you remember the Riots of Vos?"

The tape-deck simply nodded once, having prepared for this since he saw his leader earlier during his introduction of Starscream's family. The riots were at the front of Megatron's mind then.

"So you recognized those other mechs, too?" Megatron continued.

"Affirmative. Suncaller: Killed along with four of his offspring in front of the Palace of the Grand Seeker. Killer: Megatron," Soundwave replied.

"I see," Megatron mumbled. He knew he recognized that face. He remembered killing that very mech.

"I remember. Do you think Starscream suspects anything?" Megatron asked.

"Negative. Starscream: Thought only of removing his creator from the Nemesis. He lacks suspicion at this point."

"Did you get a read on Suncaller or the others?"

"Negative. Their minds were unreadable."

"Hmm," was all Megatron managed to say before a heavy silence hung in the air as both mechs tried to make sense of the information. Neither made any progress, so Megatron decided to work with something he knew could be dealt with.

"Locate Starscream," he ordered.

"As you command, Lord Megatron," the tape-deck answered. He had read his leader's mind earlier during the confrontation with Suncaller. The Decepticon Commander had wanted nothing more than to tear the Grand Seeker apart. So many overwhelming thoughts had passed through the gun-former's mind, Soundwave had trouble keeping up. Megatron didn't even know what to make of the thought of Starscream discovering that most of his family had been murdered by the very mech he claimed to love. Starscream was clearly one of the silver mech's focuses then. The tape-deck snapped out of his trance when his leader placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I told you to locate Starscream. What are you doing?" Megatron asked. His Third in Command had just sat there, staring off into space for a moment.

"Apologies: Slight relapse into past events," Soundwave stated. He checked for the Decepticon Second in Command and found him in an unusual place, "Starscream: Located in storage block 47 on floor six. Observation: Storage facility unused and unlikely place for him to be. Theory: Starscream desires privacy to work through issues plaguing his mind. Overactive thought processes will lead to greater paranoia in Starscream."

"Overactive thought processes?" the gun-former asked curiously.

"Affirmative. Note: Flight capable Cybertronians possess the ability to run through vast amounts of scenarios in short periods of time to make constant flight corrections in the air. Theory: Starscream is over thinking recent events that have transpired, coming up with far too many scenarios to sort through. May lead to a CPU fault if he's not careful," Soundwave said, the last portion being an attempted joke. Megatron didn't seem to take it that way. He barged out of the room and made his way to Starscream's hideout as quickly as he could. He passed a few lingering Decepticons who jumped out of his way in fright as he stomped past them and further into the depths of the Nemesis.

When he arrived at the storage room, he punched in the access code angrily. The door slid open, and Megatron expected to see Starscream pacing around anxiously or cursing in the room or both. Instead, he found his Second asleep on the floor, a deep frown set on his lips. Megatron certainly hadn't been expecting that. For a moment, he struggled not to chuckle at the thought of Soundwave being so incredibly wrong about Starscream. He walked in quietly and locked the door behind him.

If it had been any other mech, Megatron would have kicked him at the very least, but when he looked down at Starscream he just couldn't bring himself to do it. Was he going soft? Was Starscream making him weak? His pride said yes, but his spark disagreed loudly. He didn't know how to handle a situation like this. He knelt down next to the sleeping form of his Air Commander, placed a hand on the flier's shoulder, and shook him until his optics flickered on. Starscream jumped up and scooted back until he hit the wall when he realized someone had found him in the dark room.


	11. Asylum

This chapter marks the end of one story arc and the beginning of another. I hope this turned out alright, considering I wrote my first smut scene ever in this chapter. It's of a more sticky variety, though it isn't incredibly explicit. If that bothers you, I apologize, but that's the method I've chosen for this story. Also, I want to give a **big** thanks to Random523 for becoming my beta! She also gave me the courage to post this chapter. Let me know what you think, please.

Text in parenthesis is someone speaking over the com link.

All text that is italicized in bulk is a flashback.

Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers and don't get anything but personal entertainment from writing this.

Enjoy.

* * *

**Chapter 10: Asylum**

"No, you won't take me!" Starscream yelled, holding his arms up defensively.

"Starscream, calm yourself! It's me!" Megatron bellowed. His Second lowered his arms and stared at the gun-former in shock.

"I didn't think you'd come looking for me. I thought Suncaller had snuck in," the flier trailed off before making his fears any more obvious.

"Your creator couldn't sneak into our base, and of course I came looking for you," the gun-former said, clearly offended by the Seeker's words. Starscream continued to stare at his leader in shock.

"Get that look off your face. Why were you hiding down here?" Megatron asked gruffly.

"I uh, I was looking for something and uh, fell asleep," the jet-former said pathetically.

"Yes, I'm sure that's what happened," Megatron said knowingly, causing Starscream to look at the ground shamefully. The Decepticon Commander leaned forward and grasped the flier's chin, tilting his head up so their optics locked.

"You can't simply shirk a day's worth of duty because your family showed up and said a few harsh things to you. Now's not the time to play coward, Starscream," Megatron lectured.

"You don't know what you're talking about," Starscream snapped, jerking his chin from Megatron's hold, "I've done far worse for far lesser reasons and received no punishment. Don't tell me that the one time I actually have some sort of reason, I'm going to be punished."

"No, but you _are_ going to make up for the work you failed to do today," Megatron smirked, bringing a look of surprise to his Second's face.

"What do you mean by _that_?" Starscream asked, scooting as far back against the wall as he could.

"We have unfinished business, you know," the silver mech replied. The Seeker started at this, unsure of how the subject changed so abruptly. He couldn't even manage a reasonable response.

"I never said _how _I intend to have you make up for lost time," Megatron chuckled, crouching down and leaning over his Air Commander with a feral grin on his faceplate.

"This isn't the time for that," Starscream huffed, his resolve already weakened by the look on his leader's face. He cursed himself for implying that there _would _be a time for it.

"And why not? Don't tell me you don't want it. I know you've wanted me since the day we met," the gun-former said arrogantly.

"I'm not here just so you can have a good interface and be done. Besides, two officers are not meant to share an intimate relationship," Starscream replied, enjoying how his teasing brought a frown to his leader's face. He paused in his thoughts, realizing he just admitted to himself that he was teasing when he should be outright denying.

"Is that what you think of me, then? You assume I've bothered humoring you all this time for a quick romp? Surely you're smarter than that, Starscream," Megatron laughed. Starscream parted his lips to speak but no words came out. He just didn't know what to say for once.

"And the only mech who can make rules about relations between those in the Decepticon army is the Decepticon Commander, and that happens to be me, in case you've forgotten. Again," Megatron teased back. Against his better judgment, Starscream found himself smirking right back at the warlord. The flier let out a laugh before rising to his feet. Megatron leaned back on his haunches.

"Tempting offer, _mighty _Megatron, but I'm going to have to pass. I'm not stupid enough to let you get that close to me," Starscream sneered, preparing to leave. In the back of his mind, the flier flinched upon hearing himself speak those words. He had already allowed Megatron close to him a number of times.

Megatron frowned deeply, his ego slightly wounded by the Seeker. Clearly his strategy needed revising. Starscream looked far too on edge to give into his leader's charms. The gun-former could use this time to satiate other, nonphysical, curiosities relating to Starscream. It would likely disarm the flier and leave him less likely to reply with nothing but snarky retorts. Instead of forcing his Second back to the floor, Megatron simply spoke.

"Starscream," he began as he sat down on the floor of the storage room, "What was your other creator's name?"

Starscream was thrown off by the unusual tactic. Where had that question come from? He turned and stared at his leader for a moment, calculating the likelihood that it was a trick of some sort. Megatron seemed interested enough, which was confusing. A small portion of Starscream's spark had twisted in pain at the question. He hadn't said his other creator's name in thousands of years. Part of him simply wanted to tuck that name away into the dark recesses of his mind and never speak of it again. However, another part of him almost clung to the opportunity to finally tell someone the secret of his origins. After a few more seconds, he spoke, intent on saving face.

"What? Soundwave didn't gather this information for you?"

"Soundwave searched your memory files for information related to specific guidelines I gave him. You creator's name was of no importance to me then," Megatron replied casually. Starscream remained standing, taking note of the more vulnerable position Megatron had put himself in. Had it been on purpose to show the sincerity of his question? Starscream narrowed his gaze at the gun-former, unwilling to be tricked by Megatron's antics.

"And why is it important to you _now_?"

"I am merely curious. If you won't engage in more carnal activities with me to make up for the work you're behind on, then we'll just have to engage in more intelligent activities to make up for it. Also, you mentioned someone by the name of Jetstream, but you said he was only the creator of your brothers, not you. Soundwave _did_ show me a file from your memories with a Seeker that called you son. I'd like to put a name to that face. So sit down."

His calm tone startled Starscream, causing him to stand dumbly in front of his leader for a moment. Megatron wanted to _chat_? It seemed so ridiculous, but it was also the easiest way to satisfy the gun-former without violence. Begrudgingly, he sat back down against the wall, this time a little further away from his leader.

"I don't believe that you just want to talk. And Jetstream was a femme. She was the creator of my brothers, and she was Suncaller's bondmate," Starscream sneered.

"Your family's drama runs deep," laughed the leader, "But don't be so paranoid, Starscream. We used to just talk, remember? It's been some time, though."

"I didn't realize you were so interested in the daily gossip, Megatron," Starscream snapped before continuing, "Yes we used to talk, but that was before you beat me for something I didn't do."

"And before you began playing traitor. No one wants to make small talk with a traitor."

"And now that you know better, things are suddenly great between us? Don't be so ridiculous, Megatron. Things don't work out so easily."

"You're the one being ridiculous, Starscream. I acted based on the information I possessed. At the time, it looked like you were trying to kill me, so I had to act accordingly. The only reason I didn't kill you for treason then was because I didn't want to believe you were truly against me. I acted as a leader should, and if it turns out that you truly desire my position as leader of the Decepticons, know this: if you don't crush all opposition under your fist,_ you_ will be crushed. I could take no chances, even with you, Starscream."

A burdensome silence overtook the pair. Starscream could only gaze at the floor as he processed Megatron's words. The gun-former was right, but he wasn't about to admit it aloud. Could it be that he really was being too paranoid? If he didn't tell Megatron what he wanted to know, the gun-former could just ask Soundwave to probe his mind again- more forcefully this time. He resigned himself to the easy way out and raised his head.

"My other creator's name was Stardust, and until I was created, he was the fastest flier of Vos," Starscream answered quietly. Megatron was a little surprised, not only by the fact that Starscream relented so easily but by the answer given. He had heard the name Stardust being praised during the time just before he had been made to work in the Energon mines, but he never made the connection between that particular flier and Starscream. Honestly, he hadn't thought much on Starscream's creators until just recently, but his Second was apparently from a line of powerful and noble Cybertronians. It certainly explained a lot. Megatron then posed a second question.

"How did Stardust come to be with Suncaller, and therefore create you?" the gun-former asked, just as calmly as he had voiced his first question. Again, Starscream found himself shocked at his leader's curiosity. He prepared an answer but studied the Decepticon Commander a calculated moment longer before responding.

"It was by force. There is no other way Stardust would have been with someone like Suncaller," he replied, betraying none of the emotion that surged through him.

"How could Suncaller have forced Stardust to create you with him? That requires a data and spark merge. Not only that, but he would need a protoform. I assume he didn't manage to sync his systems with Stardust's to form a bond."

"Yes, I understand that. Suncaller forced his spark energy and data onto Stardust. If Stardust had simply tried to continue his life with that residual data and energy, he would have either died from it or gone crazy from excess data in his processor. The only intelligent solution would have been to dump that energy and data into a protoform so that Stardust may live. Suncaller didn't manage to sync their systems because Stardust wasn't interested in bonding."

"And what did Jetstream have to say about this?"

"Jetstream only became Suncaller's bondmate for the sake of optimal data configuration for protoforms. They synced very well together, so they became bonded. Vos' Grand Seeker needed a mate to produce offspring, after all." Megatron noted the biting anger seeping into his Second's speech.

"Of course, the aristocrats of Vos weren't quite past arranged bonding." Megatron couldn't help but take a stab at the Seekers. Suncaller had insulted him earlier, after all. Starscream glared at the floor, not nearly as amused as his leader.

"I see. If Stardust is the one who protoformed you, why did you end up in Suncaller's care with Stardust only sneaking up to your window to visit you?"

Starscream's head snapped up to lock glaring optics with his leader, realizing just what kind of memory file Megatron must have seen.

"If you _must _know, Suncaller was quick to banish Stardust, and he took me as a result. Stardust had to stop visiting me at the risk of being killed, because he knew that Suncaller would attempt to use me to bait him."

"What happened to Stardust then?"

"I-I don't," Starscream began to lose composure but steeled himself and forced the words from his vocalizer, "I don't know. He left and never returned." Megatron saw his Second flinch slightly after giving his response. The Seeker was having more and more trouble retaining the emotions his body was dying to express.

Megatron gathered his wits about him and scooted over to sit next to his Second. He pulled the Seeker into his lap so that Starscream straddled him. He wrapped his arms around the flier's waist tightly. Starscream didn't object but said nothing. Megatron nuzzled the flier's neck, a gesture he hoped the flier was familiar and comfortable with by now. When Starscream's arms came up and wrapped around his neck loosely, Megatron smirked.

"Tell me, Starscream, why does Suncaller think I'm unworthy to touch you?" he asked. The Air Commander tensed in his leader's grasp. Megatron simply raised an arm to stroke one of the Seeker's wings in response. It relaxed him.

"You aren't a flier. He thinks groundlings are inferior mechs because their processors are different," Starscream explained.

"That explains why you're so arrogant," Megatron joked. The Seeker jerked in his grip at the comment.

"I am _not_ like that old fool!" the flier cried out. The gun-former simply tightened his grip.

"I never said you were like him. I just said I found out one of the reasons behind your arrogance. Surely Suncaller taught you the things he believed. But soon enough he'll know that the _groundlings _are far more powerful than he thinks."

"Suncaller is a fool," Starscream hissed, "And I am nothing like him."

"Yes, I know," Megatron mumbled, running his hands along the Seeker's body. Starscream's hands slid to his leader's shoulders where he tightened his grip and sighed in satisfaction. He had told himself he wouldn't let Megatron seduce him, yet there he was in Megatron's lap, _again_, urging the gun-former on with sighs of contentment. After so easily giving away information he had so heavily guarded in the past, a part of him felt as if Megatron _owed _him. Why shouldn't he let the gun-former pleasure him? After all, his leader seemed quite enthusiastic, if his eager hands and heated frame were any indication. Rough nipping at his neck broke him from his reverie as an unchecked moan escaped his lip components. Starscream brought his cobalt hands from his leader's shoulders to his face and guided Megatron's lips to his own. They met in a fierce kiss that ended only when it became apparent that Megatron wished to do much more.

The gun-former raked his fingers down the flier's wings as Starscream's hands slipped back down to silver shoulders. Megatron's ministrations earned him more delicious sounds, one in particular that gained his attention fully. It was the sound of Starscream's interface panel retracting. It must have been quite some time since Starscream had last interfaced with someone, a fact which greatly surprised the Decepticon Commander. He shrugged it off instantly at the feeling of tiny droplets of lubricant leaking onto his lap. Starscream was more than prepared to move things forward.

"Eager, aren't we?" the leader teased huskily, unable to help himself.

"No, you're just slow," Starscream growled, running his own hands down Megatron's form as he leaned down to nibble on his neck cables. The impatience of the Seeker brought a smirk to Megatron's lips. As he continued to map out his Second's form, Megatron allowed his own interface panel to retract but he didn't progress any further. Starscream ceased his own ministrations when he became aware of his leader's inactiveness. He looked down at the gun-former's waiting spike and decided to take matters into his own hands. As he moved to position himself correctly and get things started, Megatron's hands grasped his hips, preventing him from moving any further.

"Are you certain that you want to do this in a storage room? We could always go to my quarters," Megatron asked. Starscream almost laughed outright at that.

"Skywarp will be popping in my room any moment now to play a prank on me or check up on me. I don't doubt that he'd check your room too now that he's seen us together. He won't know to look for us in here though," Starscream answered, desire heavy in his voice. The gun-former chuckled and relaxed his grip on the flier's hips.

Greedy as ever, Starscream seized the opportunity and positioned himself just right over his leader's firm spike. With a bit of effort, the Seeker lowered himself completely onto the gun-former with a gasp. They sat, unmoving, for a moment as they adjusted to one another's presence. Megatron captured his Second's lips again, rendering the flier a mewling mess. Starscream attempted to work his way back up his leader's spike but Megatron's iron grip held him in place. An impatient whine sounded from the flier, which earned him a chuckle from the gun-former.

Finally, Megatron relented and slowly guided Starscream back up the length of his spike. He broke off their kiss to smirk at the flier briefly. Then he tightened his grip on those ruby hips and yanked the Seeker down with a great deal of force. Starscream yelped in surprise but did nothing to deter the gun-former from slowing the brutal pace he quickly set. Instead, Starscream buried his face into his leader's neck, panting and raking his hands along his leader's back.

The sensations coursing through Starscream's body had him completely disoriented as Megatron continued to slam the Seeker up and down over his spike, hitting the most precious of sensor nodes in the flier's valve. Starscream had intended to set the pace himself, but Megatron surprised him into submission with his rough handling. As the brutal pace continued, Starscream couldn't help but arch back and keen as his leader struck every sensitive spot within him. Megatron fared no better as his Second's tight valve slid along his spike, setting off every sensor in its wake.

A delicious, tingling sensation ran throughout both mechs' circuits until neither could take it any longer. Starscream cried out as he overloaded, sending his leader over the edge himself. Megatron released a more subtle moan as he overloaded, his grip on the flier slackening substantially when they both fell silent. Starscream's systems were cut off in a blazing heat of passion as he slumped over in his leader's lap.

Once the Seeker regained himself and his systems rebooted, displaying a number of warnings, he looked up at the recovered Decepticon Commander. Both Decepticons' air intakes whirred noisily as they cooled down. The Air Commander was speechless.

"Starscream," he stated ruggedly, "I won't let Suncaller or Skyfire take you from me. You belong to me now."

The Seeker was still a bit dazed and looked at his leader lazily. Megatron groaned.

"Do you understand? I'm not going to let them get close to you again. You're not going with Suncaller, no matter what," Megatron tried again. Starscream sobered up a little at the forcefulness of his leader's statement.

"Of course I'm not going with those idiots. I thought I made that clear," Starscream agreed. The flier pulled away from his leader just enough to retract his interface panel and allow Megatron time to do the same.

"Yes, because you will be staying here with _me_," Megatron growled, wrapping his hands around his Second's waist tightly. The possessive tone kept Starscream quiet as he contemplated the gun-former. Perhaps he really had misjudged Megatron. His body felt far too relaxed and he was far too comfortable to continue the conversation. He sighed and nestled in close to the silver mech, waiting for recharge to claim him.

* * *

Starscream was the first to wake. His optics flickered on, and he took a moment to regain himself. He was still a little overwhelmed from the event of the previous night. He wondered if Megatron would wake and simply push him away without any sort of interaction. It was the expected response, and Starscream was tempted to try to sneak away from the situation as well. The big lug was a heavy sleeper. Starscream scooted up from his place on the gun-former's lap so that their faces were even. He studied Megatron's faceplate for a moment and couldn't stop himself from tracing the harsh lines of his war hardened leader's face. The gun-former continued to snooze, his mouth parting slightly at the light touches of the Seeker.

Starscream almost laughed aloud. Though it seemed like Megatron was an easy target at the moment, he knew that if he tried anything funny it wouldn't turn out well. The Null Rays didn't affect Megatron as they did other mechs, so shooting him would simply wake him up and put him into a beating mood. Starscream could not choke his leader fast enough, either. Finally he did release a chuckle. The motivation to think of a craftier way to kill his leader simply didn't exist at the moment. It was an unusual feeling for the Seeker. So he decided he would make the best of the situation in another way.

Starscream leaned in and kissed all along Megatron's faceplate. After a few seconds, the gun-former's parted lip components shifted into a smirk and he wrapped his arms around the Seeker. Starscream watched his optics flicker on. They stared at one another briefly, as if deciding whether or not last night was real. It definitely was.

"How long have you been up?" the gun-former asked, his voice rumbling.

"Not very long," the Air Commander replied. Megatron placed his servos firmly on his Second's hips and shifted- he had slid down the wall a bit in recharge- taking care to keep the flier in his lap comfortably.

"I think it's time for refueling," Starscream said, in need of some Energon as a result of the previous night's activities.

"It can wait," Megatron purred, clearly ready for round two. The Air Commander was about to protest, but an expert mouth persuaded him otherwise.

* * *

Skywarp sat up in his berth and looked over to find Thundercracker missing. When he glanced around the room, he found the blue flier at their desk working on something at their shared computer terminal.

"What are you doing, TC?" the teleport asked.

"Reports are piling up on us, Warp. I'm trying to get them out of the way," Thundercracker replied. Skywarp got up and approached his lover.

"Have you heard anything from Screamer yet?" Skywarp asked, stretching out his stiff joints.

"No, I haven't seen or heard from him since he ran off yesterday."

"Yeah, he wasn't in his room_ or _in Megatron's room."

"You checked Megatron's room! You could get into serious trouble doing that!"

"I know, I know, but I just wanted to find Screamer."

"You're going to get yourself killed one day doing that, which means you're going to get _me _killed one day doing that," Thundercracker complained, shaking his head in amusement at his bondmate while standing up from the work he could no longer focus on, "I need some Energon. Let's go."

* * *

Starscream stood up on weak knees, wobbling slightly from the aftermath of the overload he just experienced. Megatron was there to steady him, which earned the gun-former an embarrassed glare. The two left the storage room together, Starscream holding his head high in an attempt to maintain his pride. Megatron was there to steady the flier during the first few steps toward the mess hall until Starscream fully regained himself. They made stops at their respective quarters to clean themselves up and be presentable to the other Decepticons before continuing to the mess hall.

When they entered the mess hall, the other Decepticons stopped and stared. The First and Second in Command of the Decepticons weren't yelling at one another, weren't fighting, and Starscream had all of his limbs intact. Something was unusual about that. Megatron whispered something to the flier, which caused him to falter but nod. They parted ways, the Air Commander taking a seat at an empty table and the gun-former retrieving a handful of Energon cubes. Blitzwing got up from his nearby seat and joined Starscream.

"Starscream, my favorite Second in Command!" the triple-changer laughed.

"I'm the _only_ Second in Command, Blitzwing," the Seeker replied.

"Right, well, how are you feeling, my hero?" Blitzwing asked.

"Why are _you_ asking _me_ how I feel? And why do you insist on calling me your hero?" Starscream wondered.

"I told you before, you are my hero! I must be prepared to help you when necessary, even if you are just feeling a bit under the weather," the larger mech said.

"So you're serious about all that?" the Air Commander asked, "Are you pledging allegiance to me or something?"

"Yes! I will defend your honor and protect you in battle, my hero!" Blitzwing declared dramatically. Starscream was a bit surprised at the triple-changer's attitude. He couldn't tell if Blitzwing was serious or if it was just another one of the strange mech's jokes. Megatron approached the table, his shadow looming over the mech in his seat. Blitzwing looked up at his leader, shock appearing on his faceplate.

"Lord Megatron! Is this your seat?" the triple-changer asked. The gun-former simply glared, which was enough of an answer for Blitzwing. The triple-changer jumped up and returned to his table without another word. Megatron sat down and passed a few Energon cubes over to his Second. The other Decepticons in the room stared as their two leaders engaged in what seemed to be casual conversation, though they couldn't exactly hear what the two mechs were saying.

"What was Blitzwing doing over here?" Megatron asked. Starscream could detect subtle jealousy in the gun-former's tone.

"He was pledging some form of allegiance to me. He even calls me his hero because of the Energon raid the other day," the Air Commander said in his best Blitzwing voice, "But I think he's just trying to be funny, which he never is."

Megatron actually chuckled at this, bringing a smile to the jet-former's face. He continued to make fun of the triple-changer in hopes of making his leader laugh some more.

* * *

Skywarp and Thundercracker walked into the mess hall together, freezing in place when they laid optics on their trine leader. He was sitting at a table with Megatron, who was laughing heartily at something Starscream had clearly said. The Air Commander was smiling as the gun-former laughed. Skywarp was the first to snap out of the trance. He popped in next to Starscream and embraced the flier in a hug.

"Screamer, I'm glad to see you! And you're smiling!" Skywarp said happily, before leaning in close to whisper, "You haven't looked this happy since the last time you let someone frag you silly."

Starscream elbowed his wing mate for such a comment, but Skywarp simply laughed it off and planted a kiss on his trine leader's cheek. Megatron watched the scene with disdain, his laughter dying quickly. Starscream noticed the quick change in his attitude. Thundercracker approached the table. Skywarp was still hanging onto Starscream, and Thundercracker patted his trine leader's shoulder but caught sight of the glare Megatron shot him and took things no further. The gun-former looked at the lead Seeker and spoke lowly.

"You and I need to have a talk," Megatron said. Starscream had a feeling he knew what the gun-former wanted to talk about. Skywarp and Thundercracker exchanged looks as the silver mech stood. Megatron grabbed Starscream by the arm and dragged the flier along. The other two Seekers simply stared after them in worry.

Megatron looked back at the Seeker that was stumbling behind him. How could Starscream just let those other two touch him that way? He was sitting right there. Mentally, he berated himself for feeling something as foolish as jealousy simply because Starscream's wing mates made physical contact with him. However, the anger he felt overwhelmed his reason. The pair reached his room, and Megatron pushed his Second inside and closed and locked the door behind them. He gripped the Seeker's shoulders painfully, earning him a wince from the flier. Starscream looked up at his leader, the confusion and hurt he felt more than evident on his faceplate. Megatron ignored it and leaned down menacingly so that his face almost touched his Second's.

"What is going on between you, Skywarp, and Thundercracker?" he growled. Starscream winced at the tone.

"Nothing! They're just my trine mates!" the Seeker replied, desperate to have Megatron release his shoulders.

"Then why do you allow them to act so physically with you?" the gun-former hissed, tightening his grip on the flier further. The Air Commander released a small yelp in pain at the increase in pressure.

"I don't know what you mean! We always do that! I'm their trine leader, so it's just something they do!" the flier responded, upset by Megatron's anger toward his trine's interactions.

"I forbid for it to continue any further," Megatron ordered, his voice dangerously low.

"What? They're my trine mates! You can't forbid me to interact with them!" Starscream yelled, ignoring the pain in his arms.

"You would have them kiss you in front of me? You would have me allow you to continue to mess around with them when you are clearly _mine_ now?" the gun-former roared.

"Yours? I belong to no one, Megatron!" Starscream gritted, attempting to break free from his leader's hold.

"You are _my _Second in Command in _my _army fighting for _my _cause!" Megatron snapped back.

"Only because I _choose _to fight in your army for your cause as your Second in Command! I could choose _not_ to as well!"

"I won't allow that."

"It's not your choice to make! If I decide I want to go with my family to New Vos, I can do so without your permission!"

"You can't just go AWOL!" Megatron shook his Second.

"I have served more than my fair share of time in this army. At this point, I'm pretty much free to go when I choose!" Starscream increased his struggles, becoming far more frustrated with his leader.

"I _will not _allow you to leave if you intend to run off with Skyfire and your family!" Megatron leaned in even closer to Starscream's face to the point where their noses touched, "I will _kill_ Skyfire!"

"I don't actually have any intention of joining up with him!"

"Good!"

Starscream attempted to leave the room, but Megatron caught him by the wing and pulled him back. The flier hissed in pain but didn't attempt to get free for fear of injuring himself.

"You aren't going anywhere until we finish this," the gun-former growled. Starscream shivered.

"This conversation is clearly over. You're make ridiculous demands of me and making no compromises. We're through here," Starscream growled.

"What, do you expect me to have some sort of relationship with you?"

"If you expect me to keep away from others, then yes. But I refuse to keep away from my trine mates. I am their leader and minor physicality reaffirms trust in our group- trust I refuse to give up just because you are _jealous_."

Megatron narrowed his optic shutters and opened his mouth to cast a scathing remark at the Seeker, but he stopped himself. He was ruining his progress all over again. He let out a frustrated sigh.

"Is that what you want, Starscream? Will that create a truce between us? Because I grow tired of this arguing."

The flier simply stared at Megatron in shock, his paranoia telling him it was some form of trickery.

"If you _actually_ expect me to be exclusive to you, then you'll have to do the same for me," Starscream snapped, certain that a deal such as that would never be made.

"Fine."

Starscream faltered. Fine? Did Megatron just agree to exclusivity between them? The last mech Starscream had done that with was Skyfire. 'And we see how well _that _turned out,' the Seeker thought. He grimaced. What compelled Megatron to agree to such a thing? Paranoia told the flier it was a trick, but he couldn't come up with a reason for Megatron to trick him in such a way. After deliberating a moment longer, the Seeker schooled his expression and looked to his leader.

"Fine," Starscream replied in kind.

They stared awkwardly at one another, uncertain of where to go from there. Megatron released his hold on the flier's wing. Starscream huffed and leaned his weight to one side. Megatron groaned in frustration and quickly closed the distance between himself and his Second. Wrapping his arms around the flier, Megatron leaned in close and pressed his lips to Starscream's. After a moment of reluctance, the Air Commander responded. The two tumbled back to the gun-former's berth to further acquaint themselves with one another.

* * *

A few days passed and everything seemed to have diffused. The Decepticons were planning another Energon raid, desperately needing to get back on track. Megatron had spoken with Starscream several times about being careful on the battlefield, to which Starscream always replied that Megatron was the one that needed to be careful. They reminded everyone to remain on the lookout for Starscream's family, hoping the Seekers wouldn't return for a long while.

When the plan was approved by the gun-former and all the preparations were made, the Decepticon forces headed out. Their target was a nuclear power plant. They arrived in two forces: one on the ground headed by Megatron and the other in the air headed by Starscream. Once they were close, the Air Commander swooped down and landed in root mode next to his leader to receive his orders. Megatron graced the agile flier with a smirk before walking toward the nuclear power plant.

The Autobots arrived on the scene far too quickly. The Decepticons hadn't even made it inside the power plant, let alone seen any humans or tried to gather any Energon. Something was wrong. Megatron's forces were slightly dumbfounded and most looked to their leader for an explanation. Starscream didn't want to give the Autobots any ground over the still shocked Decepticons, so he called to his fliers over the general com link.

"Seekers, attack!" he cried, pointing at the Autobots dramatically. To himself, Starscream counted the number of jets to pass by over head. He always tried to keep track of his wing mates' movements and whereabouts in combat. Two at the same time: Skywarp and Thundercracker. One having issues with flight control, as usual: Thrust. An uncomfortably long pause: Dirge. Starscream looked up. Where was Ramjet? He should have passed before Thrust. The white Seeker flew by shortly after the Air Commander looked up. That was odd. Dirge was always last, seeing how he always had to overcome his fear of dying every time before rushing into battle.

Megatron ran forward, prepared to engage Optimus Prime. The two leaders rushed each other, colliding in a loud clang of metal meeting metal. Starscream turned and raised his Null Rays, trying to steady a shot intended for Optimus Prime. Out of nowhere, a large form landed in front of him. The Air Commander took a step back, lowering his weapon slightly in shock.

"Skyfire!" he hissed.

"Starscream, I knew you would be here. If a certain someone hadn't told me, it would have taken me forever to get to you," Skyfire smiled.

"Get away from me, Skyfire. I have more important things to attend to!" Starscream growled, readjusting his aim and preparing to fire his weapons at full power.

"I can't do that. We've been waiting for you to leave the base, but you certainly took your time. It was reported that you've been acting very strangely lately. I hope you are feeling well. It's time to go with me and your family to New Vos, where we can start a new life as bondmates," the shuttle-former said happily. Starscream glanced around, hoping one of his comrades would realize what was happening. Thundercracker looked his way, and as soon as he caught sight of Skyfire, he rushed toward his leader.

"That's not going to happen, Skyfire!" Starscream yelled, trying to hold out until Thundercracker came to his aid.

Shots rained down from high in the sky, striking Thundercracker and many other nearby combatants- Autobots and Decepticons alike.

"It's time to go, Starscream," Skyfire smiled. The Seeker frowned and looked up, catching sight of Suncaller and some of his brothers. How had they remained undetected when so close? He cursed under his breath.

"I'm nev-," the Seeker fell forward into Skyfire's waiting arms before he could finish, unconscious. Shootingstar's form was revealed behind the Air Commander.

"I've wanted to do that for a long time," the purple Seeker laughed. Shootingstar transformed and took off into the sky at a remarkable speed. High in the sky he met up with the other jets. Skyfire transformed as well, taking Starscream with him to meet Suncaller and his Seeker sons.

At the sight and sound of so many shots raining from the sky, Megatron chanced a look over to the last place he'd seen the Air Commander to assure his well-being. There he saw Shootingstar transforming and Skyfire holding Starscream. The Decepticon Commander growled and ran at the shuttle-former. Optimus Prime tackled him from behind before he made it even two steps. Megatron watched as Skyfire transformed and carried his Second in Command away.

"Prime, you fool! They're taking him away!" Megatron shouted as he thrashed beneath the Autobot leader. Optimus Prime, having had his back turned to what had so intimately captured Megatron's attention, assumed his foe was trying to fool him.

"You're tricks won't work on me, Megatron!" Optimus yelled.

"Get off me!" the gun-former demanded, sending an elbow to the Prime's head, effectively knocking him off. Megatron scrambled to his feet and ran to the spot he had just seen his Second. He looked up and his spark burned painfully.

"Starscream!" he cried up at the sky. The Cybertronians engaged in battle froze at such an emotional cry from the Decepticon Commander. Soundwave was at his leader's side in an instant. The look on Megatron's face was one of pain and the tape-deck had complete access to his unprotected mind. The Communications Officer had never felt such a powerful mix of love, fury, confusion, and helplessness. He had to pull away from his leader's thoughts- they were far too intense. Skywarp appeared next to the flightless mechs.

"Where's Starscream!" the teleport shouted, sporting wounds from the shots Starscream's family rained down before escaping.

"His family and Skyfire have taken him," Megatron replied, his gaze never leaving the sky. The fliers had long since disappeared, but the gun-former couldn't bring himself to look away. Optimus Prime followed Megatron's gaze but found nothing of interest so high up. Was Megatron trying to trick the Autobots?

"Megatron, face me!" Optimus demanded. The gun-former acted as though he didn't hear him. The truck-former didn't understand. Confused, the Autobots and Decepticons ceased their fighting and took up defensive stances near their respective leaders, many sporting wounds from Suncaller and his family. Megatron's gaze remained skyward. The Decepticons grew anxious at the lack of action. Thundercracker approached his lover, asking what was happening over their bond. When Skywarp relayed Megatron's information, Thundercracker prepared to transform.

"TC, no, we don't know where they took him!" Skywarp shouted, being the rational one for once.

"But they took him! We have to go after him!" Thundercracker argued. The Autobots listened in carefully. Optimus Prime realized that Starscream was missing. That's who Skywarp and Thundercracker were talking about. Someone had taken Starscream in the middle of combat. Megatron seemed beyond upset at the loss of his Second in Command, which Optimus found unusual. Wasn't Starscream always plotting against the Decepticon Commander? Perhaps it had something to do with Skyfire going missing a few days ago as well. In a bold move, the Autobot leader stepped forward.

"Starscream has been taken, hasn't he?" Optimus asked. Megatron finally snapped out of his trance and glared menacingly at his age old foe.

"What business is it of yours, Prime?" the gun-former said hatefully.

"Skyfire has been missing, too. We've tried looking for him but haven't seen him," the truck-former said calmly. Prowl frowned where he stood, disliking the idea of sharing any information with the enemy.

"Skyfire? Skyfire! He's the one that took Starscream! Weren't you watching? He is no longer your ally! He has sided with Suncaller in order to have Starscream for himself! He tried to reprogram _my _soldier!" the silver mech yelled, too angry to converse any further with the Autobot Commander. Both factions tensed behind their leaders, ready for a fight to break out.

"I know," Optimus admitted.

"You _let _him do it?" Megatron roared, charging at Optimus Prime with reckless abandon.

"No! I discovered that Skyfire tried to reprogram Starscream _after_ you had already rescued him!" Optimus shouted, dodging Megatron's hapless attacks.

"He tried to reprogram Starscream when you held him captive! How could you let him do something like that!" Skywarp cried, jumping to Megatron's side. When Skywarp raised his weapons to fire at Optimus, the Autobots immediately jumped into action, shooting the teleport down and attacking the other nearby Decepticons. Their battle resumed.

Megatron seethed with untamed rage as he fought with Optimus Prime. Every blow that connected with the truck-former was ten times more painful than the last. The Prime stuck to dodging, not wishing to further his opponent's overwhelming fury. After sidestepping a particularly vicious looking right hook, Optimus brought up his blaster and fired at Megatron's exposed back. The gun-former fell to his hands and knees and laid there for a moment before rising to his feet. He swung around to face Optimus, a deep scowl set on his face.

Megatron glanced around and realized he had reengaged in battle because of the loss of his Second in Command. He had shown his soldiers, and even the Autobots, a great weakness. Leveling his heated gaze on Optimus Prime, he spoke.

"Don't think that Skyfire's crime will go unpunished."

With that, the Decepticon Commander called a retreat- there would be no gathering of Energon anyway. The Autobots disengaged them easily enough. Prowl approached his leader, a look of concern and confusion on his face.

"Did you not see them take Starscream?" he asked.

"I did not. Who took him?" Optimus replied.

"Skyfire. There were Seekers in the sky laying down suppressive laser fire for him," Prowl pointed in the air to indicate where the fliers had been, "But there was a Seeker on the ground with him, a purple one who knocked Starscream out. They flew up to meet the other Seekers and headed to the South."

"I can't believe Skyfire would do this," Optimus whispered. He couldn't believe he missed that portion of the battle. His back had been turned to the mystery Seekers, and he had been so focused on defeating Megatron that he hadn't paid attention to much else.

"Well good riddance, I say!" Sunstreaker laughed as he approached his leader, "Now we don't have to worry about the Screaming One!"

"There's a lot more to this than we understand," Optimus said to Prowl, ignoring Sunstreaker's cheers for Starscream's absence.

"I agree. If Skyfire is involved, it would be in our best interest to investigate," Prowl suggested. Optimus nodded before turning to the remainder of his forces and ordering them back to base.

* * *

The Decepticons returned to the Nemesis, Megatron mumbling Cybertronian curses under his breath. Thundercracker and Skywarp exchanged nervous looks, chattering hectically over their bond. Soundwave could pick out bits and pieces of their conversation, and it was clear that they were beyond worried about their trine leader. Blitzwing, of all Decepticons, was crying out for the loss of Starscream.

Megatron abruptly stopped walking, causing all behind him to collide into one another to avoid running into him. The gun-former turned and addressed his troops with a solemn expression on his faceplate.

"Soundwave, Skywarp, Thundercracker, follow me to the Control Room. The rest of you, report to your posts. If your post happens to be in the Control Room, I suggest you find another way to busy yourself," the silver mech stated, his voice low and grating. He received many affirmatives while walking to the Control Room, his three requested mechs hot on his heels. Once they were all inside, Megatron locked the doors tight and sat upon his throne in a huff. His three subordinates eyed him warily. All sported scrapes and dents from the battle but none said a word about their discomfort. If Soundwave hadn't had his visor and faceguard, Megatron would have been able to easily see the discomfort the situation caused the tape-deck.

"Due to the urgency of this situation, I'm not going to bother with formalities. As of this moment, you three are my most trusted Decepticons," Megatron began, almost laughing outright at the ridiculousness of such a statement. Soundwave had full access to the upset mech's mind. An indescribable pain lashed out at the tape-deck, effectively stopping him from probing any further. He could tell it was the pain Megatron felt at the loss of his lover. Soundwave hadn't realized just how attached his leader had become to the flier. The tape-deck smiled beneath his faceguard.

"I'll not tolerate Skyfire kidnapping _my_ Second in Command," Megatron growled possessively, "We're going after them."

Skywarp agreed immediately, just as eager to rescue his trine leader. Soundwave stood silently, but Megatron knew the tape-deck would do as ordered no matter what.

"While I admit that I'd like to go after Starscream, I don't think the other Decepticons will be so willing to stage a _second _rescue mission for him. It was difficult enough to convince them the first time. I don't see how we'll do it again," Thundercracker said evenly.

"They will do as ordered unless they wish to perish at my hand," Megatron growled. Thundercracker fidgeted but continued his train of thought.

"Out there on the battlefield, they saw how you attacked Optimus Prime. They saw how greatly Starscream affects you. With all due respect, Lord Megatron, they may see this as a weakness and attempt to overthrow you as a result. They are, after all, Decepticons," the blue Seeker offered humbly. Megatron narrowed his gaze at the flier.

"Weakness? I have no weaknesses, and if they need to be reminded of that, I will be happy to oblige them," Megatron snapped. Thundercracker immediately backed off, having no desire to be on the receiving end of the gun-former's wrath.

"So, how exactly are we going to go about finding him?" Skywarp asked after an agonizing pause.

"Suncaller specifically mentioned that New Vos was on a world near Cybertron. Soundwave, patch me through to Shockwave," the Decepticon Commander ordered.


	12. Luck

I apologize for the absolute lack of activity from me for the past three or so months. I got a job over the summer and school started back up at the beginning of September, so I was fairly busy. Then my laptop (which I had saved all my work on) died on me, and I was foolish enough to not have anything backed up. Excuses aside, I'm trying my hardest to get everything back on track. My beta reader is missing as well, so I hope this chapter isn't to rough to read.

Text in parenthesis is someone speaking over the com link.

All text that is italicized in bulk is a flashback.

Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers and don't get anything but personal entertainment from writing this.

Enjoy.

* * *

**Chapter 11: Luck**

Starscream's optics onlined, and he found himself chained up in the middle of a cell. He sat on his knees, his legs shackled at the ankles and his arms chained above him at the wrists. He had enough room to stand, but he didn't have the energy to do it, so he remained on his knees. While this wasn't the first time this had happened, the Seeker didn't recall what could have led up to his capture. The cell he was in didn't resemble that of the Autobots' or Decepticons'. He scowled at the thought of being captured, _again_. He never allowed his enemies to get close enough to touch him, let alone _capture _him.

The memories came flooding back. Starscream growled at the thought of Skyfire and whoever had knocked him out from behind- one of his brothers, no doubt. He adjusted his stiff body as best he could, shifting his wings through various motions to relieve the tension he felt in his joints. His movement seemed to catch someone's attention. The figure opened the cell door and approached the kneeling form of Starscream. When the Air Commander realized who it was, he hissed.

"Shootingstar," he spat as if the name were a bad taste in his mouth.

"Now, now, Starscream, no need to act like that," Shootingstar laughed.

"Where are we?" the Decepticon demanded.

"Why New Vos, of course," the purple flier replied.

"You couldn't have transported me somewhere near Cybertron that quickly," Starscream stated.

"Not through normal means, which is why we used our space bridge."

"How did you manage to get a hold of a space bridge?"

"That's no concern of yours."

A silence fell between the brothers. Starscream began running over escape plans, but the highest success rate any of the scenarios yielded was less than ten percent. The Air Commander frowned deeply and began thinking things through carefully. Shootingstar watched his brother curiously.

"You're awfully silent, Starscream," the purple Seeker teased.

"Oh, my apologies, Shootingstar, was I not paying enough attention to you?" Starscream mocked.

"Why do you _always _have to be so difficult?"

"This time it might have something to do with the fact that you've abducted me. I'd say that gives me ground to be _difficult_," Starscream sneered.

"It's your own fault. If you had just joined Suncaller like the rest of us, things would be different. We wouldn't have had to drag you here," Shootingstar replied evenly.

"Why did _you_ join him?" Starscream asked. His bother contemplated answering for a moment.

"If I hadn't, I'd probably be in the same situation as you, and unlike you, I chose the easier path. It's useless to fight it, Starscream. Suncaller is too powerful and you know that at the very least, Sunchaser and Solarwind are so loyal that they would shoot themselves if he commanded it. He is giving me power and freedom from the war. What other reasons should I have?" Shootingstar said, the look in his optics betraying his true feelings on the matter. Starscream took note of his brother's reluctant optics but didn't press the issue further. Instead, he changed the subject.

"Are you bonded?" the Air Commander asked softly.

"No, Suncaller has yet to approve of a bondmate for me," was the answer her received. Starscream frowned.

"You're still in love with the groundling, Slipstream, aren't you?" the bound flier asked. Shootingstar attempted to hide his discomfort at being asked such a question, but Starscream could see it clearly. After a minute, the older Seeker responded.

"Don't presume to judge me, Starscream," Shootingstar growled, "I saw the way your commander held you and the way you looked at him."

"I wasn't judging you. I was merely sympathizing," the red and blue jet-former said simply.

"You? Sympathize? Don't make me laugh. You say that only because you want something from me," the purple flier accused. He stared for a moment longer before leaving the cell in a poorly masked rush. Starscream smirked. He had his brother right where he wanted him.

* * *

Megatron finished his conversation with Shockwave fairly quickly. When he turned to address the three other mechs in the Control Room, he caught sight of Thundercracker attempting to patch a more severe wound of Skywarp's. He sighed.

"Go see Hook for repairs. As soon as you're finished, report back here," he ordered.

"As you command, Lord Megatron," the three mechs replied together and immediately left the room.

Soundwave was the first to return to his leader, having avoided the laser fire rained downed by Starscream's family. He stood quietly in the Control Room, noting that Megatron had calmed down substantially. He knew his leader was attempting to come up with the best way to rescue the Air Commander. The gun-former turned and stared the tape-deck down, and Soundwave knew it was because he had just been noticed by the silver mech.

"Where are the others?" Megatron snapped. Soundwave knew he already knew the answer but indulged him anyway.

"Thundercracker and Skywarp: More gravely injured and in need of lengthier repairs," he said calmly. Megatron grunted in response and turned his back on the Communications Officer.

When the two Seekers finally made their appearance, Megatron wheeled around and set his deadly gaze upon them. With his hands clasped behind his back, he approached the three mechs.

"We are going to find Starscream. Suncaller stupidly admitted to taking refuge on a world near Cybertron. Shockwave has confirmed this claim. As you'll recall, Soundwave," the gun-former looked to the mech in question while the two Seekers waited to be filled in, "Shockwave spoke with us not too many weeks ago about increased activity on Cybertron, activity revolving around the remaining Seekers. Even the Rainmakers agreed that the behavior was odd. Suncaller has obviously been planning to make a move for a while, so we must be prepared for what he might have in store."

"Wait, Shockwave called to report weird Seeker behavior, and you didn't tell any of the _Seekers_?" Skywarp shot, dumbfounded. Megatron glared at the teleport.

"And why should _I _be responsible for letting _you _know about the happenings of the Seekers on Cybertron?" Megatron snapped. Skywarp gave his leader a look that said "Because I'm a Seeker, of course," but before the teleport could open his mouth to voice that concern, Thundercracker stepped forward after nudging his bondmate.

The stoic mech clarified, "What Skywarp means, Lord Megatron, is that had we known, we might have been able to use the other Seekers to find out what exactly Suncaller was up to before he and his family even came to Earth."

Megatron stood silent for a moment. Soundwave braced for the anger he knew was seconds away from being unleashed. Thundercracker seemed to sense the impending danger. He took a step back and felt Skywarp's hand come to his wing.

"Are you implying that Starscream's capture was somehow _my _fault?" the tyrant roared.

"Of course not, Lord Megatron!" Thundercracker assured, "It's just that before the war really took off, we were allowed to contact the other Seeker forces who were on the other side of the planet or on our moons, which gave us aerial coordination and knowledge of any strange happenings in time to give us an advantage. All I am saying is that we lost that advantage."

"Of course we lost the advantage! Not only was Suncaller worlds away, but he is a _Seeker_. The leader of all you Seekers, at that! Surely any information the others gathered could already be compromised. The others themselves could be compromised!" Megatron argued.

"Sunstorm, compromised? Or Acid Storm? Doubtful," Skywarp laughed, "They know better than to cross Starscream."

Megatron's gaze narrowed at the teleport, "What do you mean by that?"

"Well, Starscream was pretty much set up to become Grand Seeker when the war ended since his family is dead and all, so they knew they'd have to follow him where ever he decided to go. Why do you think they all joined the Decepticons? They wouldn't betray him," Skywarp explained.

"You forget one fact, Skywarp. Suncaller is _not _dead, and neither are his sons, all of whom are older than Starscream. They have no reason to continue to give Starscream their loyalty. In fact, all Seekers should be considered compromised if you are all so adamant about following your Grand Seeker!"

Skywarp took a step back in shock. Him? Compromised? Never. Thundercracker shifted uncomfortably.

"Suncaller is dead. I saw his corpse with Starscream. We confirmed his death. That mech parading around as Suncaller is an imposter, along with Starscream's brothers. There is no other explanation. And as a reminder, my Lord, Skywarp and I joined the Decepticons before Starscream. Our loyalty should not be coming into question here," Thundercracker protested.

"Two of Starscream's brothers are unaccounted for in that story. For all you know, they may have placed decoy bodies outside the palace to make everyone believe their family had died in the attack. In fact, the two of you could have been in on it. How am I supposed to know the truth?"

"With all due respect, Lord Megatron, you're being ridiculous! Thundercracker and I have never shown you disrespect! We followed all of your orders without fail, even at the cost of our companionship with our trine leader, which, I'll have you know, is a great offense! If we did that while Vos still stood, we'd be put to death!" Skywarp said desperately. Megatron faltered a bit at the last bit of Skywarp's plea. Not only that, but _Skywarp _of all mechs called him out on being ridiculous.

"If it is our loyalty you question, have Soundwave look into our minds. I don't have anything to hide," Thundercracker offered. Megatron sighed in frustration. He felt as though he had wasted precious time arguing with his most loyal followers.

"No, that won't be necessary," Megatron said, his voice much calmer, "Soundwave would have interrupted at any time if you two had been lying."

Thundercracker frowned at his leader's weak save, but he knew Megatron would never apologize for his actions. Skywarp's hand came back to his bondmate's wing and he traced small, comforting patterns along the metal. Given the way the two Seekers stood, Megatron wouldn't be able to see what the teleport was doing. A heavy silence hung in the air. Skywarp and Thundercracker were too frightened to say anything and make matters worse, Soundwave didn't have anything to say, and Megatron tried to think of how to word his next concern without allowing anymore emotion to leak through.

"Our only option now is to travel to Cybertron and find out which world Suncaller hides on," the gun-former finally said, "We will have to use the space bridge to get there. I want the Constructions to get to work immediately on making the necessary arrangements."

Megatron paused for a moment to allow the others a chance to disagree. They didn't. He directed his attention back to Thundercracker and Skywarp.

"While I would prefer to leave you two here to watch over the base, it is important for me to bring fliers. All the fliers in the base will go and you two will command them jointly since you practically share a processor. Soundwave, it is imperative that you come along as well. Astrotrain and Blitzwing must be there too. Hook will come as our medic but the other Constructicons need to stay to ensure the base is guarded. They wouldn't dream of trying anything funny when one of their gestalt members is with us. Everyone else will remain here," Megatron's tone became more serious as he continued, "Thundercracker, Skywarp, you two are officially my joint Fourth in Command, acting as Third in Command and Air Commander in Starscream's absence, while you, Soundwave, are now my acting Second in Command. Our priority remains Starscream's rescue, regardless of what may happen there. I expect you to keep the mechs on track. Inform the others of our departure. Once on Cybertron, we will meet with Shockwave and work out a more specific plan. Dismissed," the Decepticon Commander said, shooing them away quickly so he could brood.

* * *

Starscream had been alone in his cell for a while and grew more disheartened as time went by. Megatron had promised his safety, yet there he was, on his knees in a dirty, cramped cell. Would Megatron even come for him? He knew he couldn't count on it. He would have to find a way out on his own before Skyfire tried to operate on him again or bond with him. Footsteps snapped him out of his thoughts. The flier groaned once he recognized who it was. Skyfire stepped inside and approached the captive.

"Here we are again. You have a bad habit of getting captured, Starscream. That's good for me, though. Unfortunately, I won't be able to work on you until after I let Suncaller know I need a few more tools. I left my kit in the Autobot base in my rush to leave, and it seems I forgot a few things. But it doesn't seem like you'll be going anywhere anytime soon, and I've waited this long already. A few more hours won't hurt," Skyfire smiled.

"I hope you remember what happened last time you tried that," Starscream warned.

"Yes, it seems you've grown attached to Megatron for some reason. He's no good for you. It's okay, though, because now I expect it. You won't be surprising me with that again. And when I fix you, you won't ever think about Megatron again," the shuttle-former replied. The Air Commander growled lowly.

"What happened to you, Skyfire? You've gone completely insane! You've changed so much," the restrained flier hissed.

"And so have you. You used to be so kind and friendly, but then you joined the Decepticons and became a ruthless, double-crossing murderer. And it's all Megatron's fault! I'm just going to change you back to the way you were," Skyfire said.

"Kind and friendly? I have never been that way," Starscream spat angrily. The shuttle-former frowned.

"I'll make you love me, I promise you that," he vowed before he walked up to the Decepticon slowly, pacing around until he stood behind the Seeker. Starscream grew nervous. Skyfire's hands rested on his wings, and the Air Commander jerked in panic.

"Don't you touch me, Skyfire!" he shouted, the panic obvious in his voice.

"I don't want to hurt you, Starscream," the shuttle-former said sweetly. He ran the tips of his fingers along the length of his captive's wings. Starscream couldn't suppress the pleasant shudder that racked his body.

"See, I just want to show you how much I care," Skyfire assured.

"No! Get your hands off me!" the Decepticon demanded. He resorted to an age old tactic in hopes of coercing Skyfire back into his line of sight.

"Sky, please don't," he begged, using his old nickname for the shuttle-former. The hands left his wings and Starscream was released from his tormentor's hold. The Autobot returned to Starscream's front, a gentle smile on his face. He placed a hand on the smaller flier's canopy lightly. The Seeker tried to still himself to keep the larger mech from returned to his place behind him. Skyfire leaned in, hoping to kiss his captive, and Starscream didn't hesitate to act. When Skyfire drew near, Starscream reared back briefly before swinging his head forward, striking Skyfire in the nose with his helm. The shuttle-former tumbled backward, holding his face in his hands.

"I can see that you refuse to make this easy on yourself. You always were stubborn, though. I'll just have to wait until you've been fixed to take you as mine. I'll be back soon enough," he declared before making a hasty exit to clean his faceplate. The jet-former relaxed a little, but the sound of more footsteps had him tensing once more. The cell door opened and a kinder mech stepped in. Skyshot approached him with a few Energon cubes in hand, and after a reasonable pause, he spoke.

"Hello, Starscream," the mech smiled. Starscream wasted no time.

"Skyshot. How did you escape the palace? You know, during the Riots of Vos. The riots you _died _in," the Air Commander asked.

"Died? Starscream, that's impossible. If I had died, I wouldn't be here right now. Did you hit your head? I hope Shootingstar wasn't too rough with you," Skyshot said, only concern in his voice. Starscream fought the smile that tried to rise to his lips. Skyshot had always had a calming effect on him, something he desperately tried to ignore.

"I _saw _your corpse, Skyshot. How do you explain that?" Starscream asked snidely.

"You must realize that many of us Seekers look alike. You could have seen anyone."

"I've never met another Seeker with wings like yours, Skyshot. In fact, Jetstream used to dote over you and how unique that wingspan of yours is," Starscream countered.

"I'm sorry, Starscream, I truly am, but I am not dead. I assumed that would be apparent to you, since I'm standing here in front of you."

"The fact that you're standing here now doesn't mean that it wasn't your corpse that I saw at the palace."

"I don't know what else it could mean."

Starscream narrowed his gaze at his brother, "What did you come here for?"

Skyshot jerked and lowered his helm in embarrassment.

"It is my duty to make sure you're fed properly during your stay here."

"You mean my _imprisonment_?"

"Starscream, please. I am not your enemy. We're brothers. Now, I'm not supposed to release you, but you need fuel and it would be most disgraceful if I fed it to you by hand," the yellow-green mech smiled. Starscream forced a smile of his own. The stasis cuffs restraining Starscream's wrists were released, and an Energon cube was pushed into the skeptical flier's hands.

"Please drink it. It isn't poisoned, if that's what you're worried about," Skyshot sighed after a few moments of inactivity from his brother.

"Prove it. Drink some."

"The Decepticons have forced you into a state of paranoia, it seems," Skyshot mumbled sadly but took the cube and drank from it nonetheless. Satisfied, Starscream took the cube back and drank the remaining Energon greedily. He tossed the cube aside shortly after and stared at his brother in deep concentration.

"If you aren't my enemy, then tell me something," Starscream began suddenly, "Why did you join Suncaller?"

"What choice did I have? Had I not joined, he would have forced me. He is stronger than me, and he is my creator. I envy you, Starscream. You have the courage to oppose him, but I do not. Perhaps it is because you have nothing at stake here," Skyshot trailed off sadly.

"I have more at stake than you think," the Air Commander said solemnly. Skyshot gave him a weak smile before turning away to retrieve the discarded cube, intending to leave.

"Tell him I was already free and jumped you," Starscream said softly. Before Skyshot had a chance to figure out what he meant, the Air Commander brought his fists down on top of his brother's helm, effectively knocking him unconscious. The Decepticon grabbed his patented Null Rays from his brother's arms and used them to disable the stasis cuffs around his ankles. When his gaze returned to Skyshot, he sighed. With another quick two shots, he hit the stasis cuffs that would have held his wrists. It had to look like he had managed to break out of his restraints. He took a moment to mount the weapons on his arms before sneaking out of the cell and searching for an exit.

* * *

As the departure time neared, Megatron steeled himself. He was the commander of an entire army and couldn't be seen brooding over one soldier. Of course, he was going out of his way to rescue said soldier under the guise of stopping the supposedly dead Suncaller from interfering with Decepticon plans, but he could at least do it with some sense of dignity. The gun-former rose from his throne and made his way to the exit. His troops were waiting anxiously for him when he arrived. Soundwave approached him to report.

"Decepticons: Prepared to move out on your command," the tape-deck informed. Megatron nodded.

"Decepticons, move out!" Megatron ordered. Everyone quickly obeyed, taking to the sky in a matter of seconds.

* * *

Optimus Prime stared at the Autobots chosen for the impromptu meeting he was about to begin. Prowl, Jazz, Ironhide, Red Alert, and Ratchet sat across from him in the Command Center, waiting to hear what their commander had to say.

"As you all know, Starscream has been kidnapped by Skyfire and other unidentified mechs," Optimus began, "We can't have one of our own going around committing such acts. We need to find Skyfire and put a stop to this reckless behavior of his. According to Red Alert, the Decepticons have been working on their space bridge again. That can only mean that they intend to travel to Cybertron to find Starscream and his captors, which includes Skyfire. We have no choice but to follow them."

"But Optimus, how do we know this ain't some Decepticon trick?" Ironhide asked.

"Ironhide, I know it might seem strange, but on the battlefield I could tell that Megatron desperately wanted to get Starscream back. I've never seen him so wounded, even after all the years I've fought him," the leader replied.

"Surely we should be taking advantage of this moment of weakness, if that's the case," Prowl interjected.

"I know you have the Autobots' best interest at spark, Prowl, but there is still the issue of Skyfire running around, possibly wreaking havoc. We need to find Skyfire before the Decepticons do, and before he does anything else he would regret later," Optimus replied.

"What if Skyfire's rejoining the 'cons?" Ironhide demanded.

"I understand you concern, but Skyfire has been a loyal to the Autobot cause since he was awakened. If you'll recall, he only fell in with the Decepticons because of his past with Starscream. He was quick to see that the Decepticon ways weren't right, and defected within the day. That is why we will give him the benefit of the doubt and hear him out."

"We must find him before the Decepticons, then. Their rush to save Starscream showed just how displeased they were that he was captured by us in the first place. They'll certainly want revenge. Not to mention Megatron's promise to punish Skyfire," Prowl mused.

"Then we must act quickly. The Decepticons are headed for Cybertron, and so are we. Red Alert, you've been monitoring their activity, correct?" Optimus asked his Security Officer.

"Yes, sir. They're finished constructing the space bridge, and a small detachment is en route as we speak," Red Alert replied as he nervously shifted his gaze around the room.

"We must assemble our own team and head to Cybertron as well. Prowl, Jazz, and Red Alert: Assemble a team to send based on the mech Megatron is taking with him. I'm going to contact Elita One to coordinate our eventual arrival on Cybertron."

Optimus received a slew of affirmatives as he turned to contact Elita. Prowl, Jazz, and Red Alert immediately huddled together, discussing the best mechs for the mission at hand. During the discussion, Prowl stopped mid-sentence and turned to his leader as a thought occurred to him.

"Sir, we don't possess a space bridge. How will we be traveling to Cybertron? I can't imagine that Wheeljack has enough time to properly construct one given that we wish to arrive on Cybertron as close to Megatron's arrival time as possible," the tactician frowned.

Optimus excused himself from his conversation with Elita to address his Second, "We're just going to have to wait for Wheeljack to sort it out. He's already been informed of the task at hand, and he and his team are hard at work."

"I got an idea," Jazz said, "How about we just use the 'cons' space bridge. It's already built. We'll just have to supply the energy and coordinates."

"Well, they don't have any guards posted on site, but it could be a trap. They could _want _us to try to follow them," Red Alert countered.

"That's messy, even for Megatron. What if it _is _a trap?" Prowl asked. Red Alert gave him an appreciative nod.

"It's a risk our time restraint forces us to take. If Megatron finds Skyfire before we do…I don't even want to consider what may happen to him," Optimus shook his head. His words left a feeling of dread hanging in the air, but it quickly gave way to determination as everyone continued their planning at an increased pace.

* * *

Megatron and his team arrived at the space bridge as fast as they could manage. Wasting no time, the proper coordinates were keyed in and the small group of mechs was ready to depart. Over a private com link, Ramjet spoke to Dirge.

"Do you see how blinded Megatron is by his desire to rescue Starscream? I don't know about you, but I'd rather not die for that fool," Ramjet said quietly, standing far enough away from the others to go unnoticed yet remain inconspicuous as they waiting for the space bridge to power up.

(Die?) Dirge balked.

"Yes, Dirge, die. This mission is suicide, especially since we're crossing Grand Seeker Suncaller. However, if you agree to help me, I can make sure you don't end up dying like Megatron will," the white flier smiled wickedly. Dirge caught his trine leader's gaze and nodded in agreement.

The space bridge came up to proper power and the Decepticons stepped through.

* * *

Mechs chosen, Prowl reported to Optimus with the details. The truck-former looked at the data pad his Second handed him and frowned.

"Is it wise to take so many officers, Prowl?" Optimus questioned.

"Megatron is bringing his top officers and all his flight capable soldiers. We must be prepared to combat them if such a need arises. We're leaving the base in capable hands, though," Prowl assured calmly.

"Gather our team, then. I'd like to leave as soon as possible."

"Yes, sir."

In a short period of time, all required mechs stood anxiously in the Command Center. Optimus gazed at each one briefly- Prowl, Jazz, Ironhide, Sideswipe, Sunstreaker, Ratchet, and all of the Aerialbots. With one final nod to those remaining on Earth, Optimus and his team transformed and sped away to the site of the Decepticons' space bridge.

Scouting ahead, the Aerialbots reported no Decepticon activity, which set everyone on edge. Would the Decepticons really leave such a device unguarded? Was Megatron in that much of a hurry to rescue Starscream?

When they arrived, the landscape was completely devoid of Decepticons.

"This is unsettling," Prowl whispered. Optimus had to agree.

"We might as well take advantage of it, though," Jazz said, stepping forward to enter the proper coordinates. After a quiet moment of waiting, the space bridge came to life. The Autobot team stood in tense silence, convinced it was a Decepticon trick.

"The energy readouts are nominal. Everything appears normal," Prowl said finally, surprised by his own words.

"That's the problem. This seems too easy," Ironhide grumbled.

"Better not jinx it, then," Jazz laughed, stepping toward the space bridge.

"Jazz, wait! We don't kno-,"

"Come on, Prowl. Don't worry. The readings are nominal. You said so yourself," the saboteur interrupted. Prowl rushed up to his side.

"We go together, then," he whispered. Jazz smiled and the two continued forward. The others followed suit, slowly and with cables tensed in worry. There was a blinding flash of light…and then they were on Cybertron, in the base of the remaining Autobot femmes, exactly where they intended to go.

"I can't believe that was so easy. The 'cons are getting sloppy," Ratchet chuckled.

"Thank Primus," Silverbolt sighed.

"Optimus!" a voice cried. Optimus turned to see Elita One rushing toward him. He caught her in a brief hug.

"Elita, it's been far too long," Optimus rumbled.

"Yes it has," she sighed.

"Where are the others?"

"Firestar is tending to Chromia's most recent injury- she's fine, Ironhide- and Moonracer is up top manning one of the turrets. She's on guard duty. You all make yourselves comfortable- stay out of the Med Bay, Ironhide- I need to go speak with Moonracer. I haven't had the chance to speak with her about this most recent development," Elita said before waving and disappearing down an adjacent hall. The base they stood in wasn't the largest, and the Aerialbots were already shifting about nervously.

* * *

Starscream crept around the building stealthily, trying to get a bearing on his surroundings. He committed every square inch of the building he passed through to memory. So far, it resembled the palace of the Grand Seeker from the original Vos. Starscream scoffed inwardly. Of course Suncaller would recreate the building. The structure itself had wide hallways with high ceilings, clearly intended for fliers. It was all smooth and streamline metal that formed the building with old Seeker adages engraved along the walls every so often. The sight sickened the Decepticon. He reached an intersection and was about to turn right when the sound of voices stopped him. It was Suncaller.

"Nightwing, use the space bridge to travel to Cybertron. Skyfire has requested tools that we don't possess to aide in his construction of my new weapon and his reprogramming of Starscream. Here is a list of what he needs. I expect you back quickly," the Grand Seeker ordered.

"Of course. I will be back so quickly that you-," Suncaller growled.

"Just go, Nightwing," he shouted angrily, clearly annoyed with his son's ever present showiness. Starscream smirked. Suncaller had no idea how perfectly he had set up his captive's escape. He pressed himself up against one of the high, arching walls as well as he could, completely hidden in shadow. He offlined his optics and carefully tuned his audio receptors. Heavy footsteps were getting louder, and therefore closer, to his hallway: Suncaller. The lighter set of footsteps grew softer down the right hall: Nightwing. Suncaller passed the hidden form of Starscream, not even noticing the flier. When the footsteps were a good distance away, Starscream onlined his optics and rushed after Nightwing as quickly and quietly as he could. He kept his brother in sight but stayed as far back as he could. A couple more times he was forced to hide as other fliers passed. After a few more minutes of pursuit, Nightwing's footsteps ceased. He stood in a large room with computers lining the wall. In the center of the room was the space bridge. Nightwing sauntered over to the control panel, keying in the coordinates he needed. Starscream inched closer, ready to make a break for the convenient exit. When Nightwing stopped typing and looked up, Starscream made his move. He transformed and kicked on his thrusters, zooming past Nightwing and getting sent through the space bridge. Nightwing stared for a moment, dumbfounded. He snapped out of it quickly. Before pursuing Starscream, he sent a message to Shootingstar: "Starscream has escaped through the space bridge, and I'm hot on his trail."

He did as the message promised and was sucked away by the space bridge. He looked up and saw Starscream tearing through the sky. He transformed and quickly gave chase, but the younger Seeker didn't seem too concerned with him. When he got closer, Nightwing began yelling.

"You won't make it far, Starscream! The others know you've escaped now and they'll be after you soon." The red and blue flier didn't respond. Nightwing growled and fired at the Decepticon. One shot grazed Starscream's left wing, peeling away the paint. The Air Commander swooped low and landed, transforming to his bipedal mode. Nightwing took the hint and followed suit.

"So, Starscream, do you give up?" the blue flier asked.

"You're crazy if you think I'm surrendering to you," Starscream frowned. Nightwing leveled his weapon.

"Brother, I figured you and I of all mechs would stick together. After all, we are the best looking. I would hate to have to ruin that for you," Nightwing said with faked sorrow.

"You are second rate compared to me, Nightwing," Starscream sneered before firing. Nightwing dodged. He rolled toward Starscream and struck his younger brother in the face hard. Starscream tumbled back in surprise, having forgotten how agile Nightwing was. The blue flier didn't stop his assault. He attacked Starscream fiercely, his playful demeanor replaced with the seriousness of battle. The Decepticon received a few more fierce hits before fully regaining himself and fighting back. The brothers exchanged blows, moving with great speed. Starscream started gaining ground over Nightwing and smirked. In mid-swing, the Air Commander was tackled away from his blue brother. When he came to stop, Starscream realized his attacker was Shootingstar. He growled and pushed himself off the ground. Nightwing was smirking.

"So nice of you to join us, Shootingstar. I take it the others are on their way?" Nightwing mused.

"No, Nightwing. I wanted to finish Starscream myself, so stand aside," Shootingstar hissed.

"What? You idiot! You were supposed to tell the others what was going on! That's why I messaged you!" the blue Seeker shouted.

"I came out here because I knew you wouldn't be able to beat Starscream, but I can!"

"I was doing fine!"

"He was beating you!"

"No he wasn't!"

"Yes he was!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

The sound of thrusters silenced the arguing brothers. Starscream blasted off into the sky. Nightwing frowned.

"This is _your_ fault," the blue Seeker pouted before transforming and flying after the escapee. Shootingstar transformed as well and quickly tore through the sky.

"We'll see who the fastest flier of Vos really is, Starscream," he yelled, quickly catching up with Nightwing. He passed his older brother and sped up further.

"I hope you can go faster than that, Starscream!" he shouted ahead. The Air Commander picked up the pace, rapidly increasing the distance between himself and Shootingstar. The purple flier shouted a few Cybertronian obscenities. He brought his thrusters to full power. Starscream allowed his brother to get close, and just as Shootingstar began to brag about being so fast, the red and blue Seeker sped away, leaving Shootingstar completely dumbfounded. Where had that extra speed come from? He continued his chase and opened fire. A few shots grazed the Decepticon but failed to knock him from the sky.

* * *

Elita One walked through her base, heading to the guard at which Moonracer was stationed at a quick pace. When she finally reached the top of the tower, she found Moonracer clearly aiming at something.

"Moonracer, what is it?" Elita One asked.

"There are two Seekers up there! One's a Decepticon, and I think it's Starscream!" Moonracer yelled excitedly. She fire off a few shots.

"Moonracer, no! Don't shoot at Starscream!" the female Autobot Commander cried. The younger femme looked at her commander.

"But he's a Decepticon!" she yelled, turning back to her work. She fired again and one of her shots hit Starscream's right wing, punching a hole through the appendage and sending him spiraling to the ground.

"No! Fire at the one following him! That's an order, Moonracer!" the pink femme yelled. Moonracer obliged but only managed to rout Shootingstar with her shots. Elita One ran from the guard tower, yelling for the younger femme to follow. She called for Optimus, who grabbed Jazz and Ironhide before following Elita and Moonracer out of the base.

"What's going on?" Jazz asked as they sped down the road.

"Moonracer caught sight of Starscream and some other mech flying around our base. She shot Starscream down and scared the other one off," Elita replied.

"We should hurry. If the Decepticons are close, they'll have heard the shots," Optimus warned.

"Shockwave and his drones don't frequent this area. We should be alright," Elita said.

"We shouldn't take any chances, regardless," Optimus warned as he sped up. The others followed suit.

Starscream plummeted to the ground, transforming to his bipedal mode to tumble and avoid the greater damage he would certainly receive if he stayed a jet. He hit the ground hard enough to get knocked into stasis lock. His body rolled and bounced a few more feet before coming to a stop. The Autobots arrived on the scene shortly after.

"Ironhide, transform and load Starscream into my trailer," Optimus ordered. Ironhide complied. After a few minutes, the Autobots were speeding back to the femmes' base. Along the way, Moonracer spoke.

"Elita One, why are we rescuing a Decepticon?" the curious young femme asked. Elita sighed and began relaying the story Optimus told her.

"The Decepticons are here to rescue Starscream. Optimus and his team are here to find Skyfire and solve the mystery of Starscream's kidnappers. They're worried that the Decepticons might find Skyfire first, though, so if we have Starscream and the Decepticons get hold of Skyfire, we could trade them. It's a way to try to assure Skyfire's safety."

"Oh. Well, who was the other Seeker following Starscream, then?" Moonracer asked.

"We aren't sure. He was the one who knocked Starscream out during a fight we were having with the Decepticons on Earth, though. He and some other Seekers showed up out of nowhere to snatch him and run," Jazz answered. The Autobots fell silent the rest of the way back to base.

* * *

Suncaller stood before his sons, anger plastered on his faceplate.

"How could you let him escape!" the Grand Seeker shouted, not even looking at Skyshot but instead eying Nightwing carefully.

"How could you not notice him following you?" he asked.

"I was under the impression that he was properly restrained, and there were others roaming the halls. I just assumed any footsteps I heard belonged to the others in the palace," Nightwing said, glaring accusingly at Skyshot.

"Why didn't you inform me of his escape?" the Grand Seeker questioned.

"I told Shootingstar that Starscream had escaped and then I chased after Starscream. Shootingstar just followed me so he could steal the glory instead of informing you of Starscream's escape like he was supposed to," Nightwing replied angrily. Suncaller's gaze shifted.

"Explain yourself, Shootingstar," he commanded.

"I knew that Nightwing couldn't handle Starscream on his own, so I went to help him. I had Starscream in my sights, but some femme with a turret starting shooting me. She was definitely an Autobot. I think they want Starscream for themselves," Shootingstar declared.

"Where was this femme?" Suncaller growled.

"I'll show you," Shootingstar answered.


End file.
